Naruto and the Goblet of Fire
by Reidluver
Summary: Unwillingly brought into a strange world, trying to hide your secrets, being there during a tournament that hasn't been held in over a century, and oh, having the most powerful wizard seeking you for your power. Simple? I think not.
1. Magic and Chakra Clash

**All right, I was wanting to try my hand at a crossover and after reading so many awesome ones I've gotten really fired up to write my own! I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Setting-wise, this takes place right after chapter 13 in the 4th HP book, before their first lesson with "Mad-Eye Moody."**

**EDIT: Okay, since this seems to be the most asked question I get in reviews I think it can be only fair for me to tell you straight from the beginning—there is NO yaoi in this story. Sorry for those of you who want to read that, but I'm just not that good at writing romance, straight or not. That said, I hope you enjoy the crossover.**

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Chapter 1: Magic and Chakra Clash

"You'll be gone for two years?" Gaara asked.

The blond grinned widely as he squatted on the hospital bed, almost cat-like. "Yeah! Pervy Sage will teach me how to defend myself against the Akatsuki! I'll probably learn all sorts of new jutsu, and I'll come back so powerful I'll be able to rescue Sasuke and become Hokage!"

Gaara's mouth twitched as he stood with his arms folded. Naruto was always so full of energy, so dedicated to his dreams; so dedicated to his friends. Of that, he was grateful for. Maybe he could share the same dream as Naruto. He _had _been thinking about becoming Kazekage for a while now . . .

They had just recently returned from rescuing Matsuri from the Shitenshounin, and both boys were now fully recovered from their injuries. Naruto's hospital attire was haphazardly strewn about the unkempt bed, while Gaara's was nicely made; his gourd resting against the side. Right now they were biding their time to be released from the hospital.

Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and the familiar copy ninja appeared, holding his right hand up in a greeting.

"Kakashi-sensei! Why don't you use the door like a normal person?" Naruto said with a whine. The jounin smiled, or at least Gaara thought he did. The redhead was still working on reading the masked man's emotions.

"It's more fun this way," was his choice of a reply. He then turned to Naruto, both hands in his pockets lazily. "So, Naruto, are you ready to be gone for the next two years with Jiraiya?"

The genin sniggered. "Yep! Once I get out of here, I'm gonna pack everything and meet him at the entrance to the village."

Without warning the three shinobi sensed something foreboding in the room. Kakashi and Naruto quickly grabbed some kunai and shuriken from their weapon pouches while Gaara's sand vibrated restlessly in the gourd. Nothing happened for a few seconds and they could sense no other life-form in the room. As Naruto opened his mouth to speak, Gaara unwittingly gasped in shock. His entire body was starting to disappear as if he were dissolving in the air. There was also some strange type of purple electricity that surrounded his body and crackled like fire.

"GAARA!" Naruto leapt from the bed and grabbed his friend's shoulder, only to find himself disappearing in the same manner the instant they made contact.

"Stop, Naruto!" Kakashi tried to save his student, but only found himself being dragged along.

At this moment Sakura burst in, having heard Naruto's yells and thought Naruto had done something stupid again. She was prepared to dismiss them from the hospital, yet she froze at the sight of the three fading before her eyes. As she ran towards them, they vanished with the purple electricity fading not long after.

"TSUNADE-SAMA!"

* * *

After feeling like they had been sucked through a small pipe, the three ninja found themselves collapsing on a cold, hard floor that was also _(annoyingly)_ damp.

Naruto groaned then gasped when he discovered himself in a room of people all wearing black cloaks, sticks in their hands, and large pots on tables in front of them. He guessed they were all participating in some type of arcane cooking ritual, if the bubbling purple, green, orange, and pink bottles were anything to go by. They all appeared extremely shocked and afraid.

"You should see the looks on your faces!" Naruto laughed. His laughter shortly ended when he heard the people speaking to one another in some weird language and accent.

"Where are we?" he demanded. When they didn't answer he growled and drew his kunai. They all seemed rather harmless, but they had summoned him and his friends with a type of chakra Naruto had never encountered before and he wasn't about to take any chances.

"I _said—_" _(Naruto made sure to speak slowly, as if it would help them understand him better)_ "_—where—are—we?_" Everyone started to back up inch by inch as they eyed the weapon warily. Naruto sighed in frustration.

"Why did you bring us here if you're not going to answer us!" He started to walk forward but was stalled by Kakashi's hand firmly grasping his shoulder.

"If you haven't noticed, Naruto, they don't speak the same language we do." At this Naruto glanced back at the strange people and lowered the arm with his kunai sheepishly. Turning his attention to Gaara, the blond helped him to his feet, because they had apparently fallen on the poor redhead.

Cautiously, a girl with brown, bushy hair stepped forward, much to the protest of the tall red-haired boy next to her. She asked, "Who are you?"

Her accent was strange, but it seemed she was able to speak their language. Naruto sighed in relief; at least _someone_understood them!

He pointed to himself, puffing out his chest proudly. "I am Uzumaki Naruto! A shinobi from the village Hidden in the Leaves!" The girl cocked her eyebrow, not seeming to understand what he meant.

_Shinobi? A village called Hidden in the Leaves? What's he talking about? _Hermione wondered to herself.

"Hermione? What're you doing?"

"Oh, be quiet, Ronald!" She swatted his hand away. "I'm trying to find out who they are!" She peered at the peculiar people before her. This . . . Uzumaki Naruto was dressed in the brightest shade of orange she had ever seen, he had drawn an odd knife from behind so fast it was almost like magic, and . . . were those _whiskers_ on his face? Was he a type of magical creature she had never read about? Impossible.

Then there was that tall one, with silver hair that seemed to defy all laws of science, and only his right eye was visible. She guessed he was only in his late 20's, though with that hair color she couldn't be too sure. Finally there was another boy to his left. She had thought the Weasley family had bright red hair, but they had nothing on him. He also didn't appear to have eyebrows, and he had such thick black circles around his eyes she concluded it was either that he wore a lot of eyeliner or he was the world's biggest insomniac.

There was also an interesting symbol of the first two strangers' headbands they wore around their forehead. It was a spiral with a triangle on the side.

"Get Professor Dumbledore!" she hissed. There was a chance that newcomers weren't too much of a threat, but with the fact that they got inside a castle you shouldn't be able to Apparate into and the two youngest seemed to give off some foreboding aura, she couldn't be sure.

Snape suddenly appeared beside her, staring so intensely at the three strangers that the blond gripped his knife tighter and put himself in a defensive stance.

"Are you able to communicate with them, Ms. Granger?"

She nodded. "I have a rudimentary understanding of all the main languages. These people are speaking a form of Japanese, but they are referencing things I don't understand."

At this the Potions teacher frowned. "Well, we can only wait for the headmaster to come." He took a step forward.

In response, the oldest put his right arm in front of the blond and placed himself between the boy and Snape, clearly giving the impression that he would not allow any harm to come to them. Hermione hardly saw a need; even though the two boys seemed no older than her and her friends, she got the feeling that they were extremely capable of taking care of themselves judging by the way they carried themselves.

The man spoke. "Where are we?" It wasn't a question.

"H-Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

The shinobi were all immediately confused. _What was a Witchcraft and what was a Wizardry?_ Naruto wondered.

The dungeon door burst open, and Naruto fought the urge to laugh as an old man with a beard as long as Pervy Sage's hair came rushing through. He wore glasses that were cut in half, and he wore a strange type of long, glittery, and turquoise dress. His eyes, however, had the same kindness and power as the Third Hokage's did, Naruto noted nostalgically.

The old man talked in the different language to the brown-haired girl before turning to them with a warm smile.

"Welcome." _(At least his accent was decent) _"I see Ms. Granger has already informed you, but you are in a dungeon of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, and these are some of the students." He gestured to the terrified kids against the wall, whom the three shinobi glanced at out of the corner of their eyes.

_They're a bunch of pre-genin scaredy-cats,_ Naruto concluded.

"My name is Hatake Kakashi," his sensei began, taking control of the situation. "This is Uzumaki Naruto, and Gaara of the Desert. How did we get here and why did you summon us?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and he replied, "I assure you that none of us intended for your arrival. As for how you came here, that shall be what we will attempt to find out." He surveyed the room one last time before ordering, "Come along with me. There is no need to fear, so you may put your weapon away young man." _(Naruto scowled)_ "I promise that no harm shall befall you." He waited as the group silently decided what to do, before Kakashi nodded and gestured for Gaara and Naruto to go ahead of him, taking up the rear for extra protection.

The entire class held their breath until the strange visitors completely exited the dungeon.

"Blimey! Who were they?" Ron asked.

"Kakashi was the oldest, Naruto was the one in orange, and Gaara was the other one," Hermione said.

"What language were you speaking?" Harry asked.

"Japanese. I'm not very good, but I did learn the basics on my own in my spare time. I believe a general knowledge of different languages will benefit me in the future," she said proudly as a few people rolled their eyes. "They said they were _shinobi_ from a _Hidden Leaf Village_."

"Do you think they could be some sort of elf?" Seamus piped up. Everyone shrugged.

"I would appreciate it if you'd follow me, Mr. Longbottom," Snape said, in a sneer harsher than usual. "And bring your cauldron with you."

Poor Neville hastily obeyed, clearly humiliated and not wanting to go anywhere with Snape. He had little reason not to.

They had been working on concocting a very complicated potion that even Hermione was having trouble with, and as soon as Neville added the last ingredient his purple potion fizzed and most of it flew up into the air like a form of liquid cloud, swirling around in a spiral shape while a type of lightning emanated from it. After a few minutes it rested on the ground and slowly faded away, revealing the three strangers.

What did Neville do?

* * *

By nightfall, the whole school was discussing the newcomers, and many had their own theories about how they got there, with some first years having the most outrageous suggestions. Some said they were people from the past, some said from the future, while some theories believed them to be an entirely new species of creature that mutated over the years in the Forbidden Forest, but they came out of hiding to enact their revenge on Hogwarts.

Harry was simply amazed. This school year had started out with so many surprises! First, he traveled to the Burrow via the Floo Network, with Mr. Weasley and the twins tormenting his family _(he would never get over the sight of Dudley once he ate the Ton-Tongue Toffee),_ there was the mayhem with the Quidditch World Cup, the Dark Mark, his dream, and finally the Triwizard Tournament. Not to mention the upcoming arrival of the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students at the end of the month.

Deciding there was no further need to dwell on such heavy subjects, Harry fell into a blissful sleep in the comfort of the four poster bed.

* * *

_There was a door ajar at the end of a passage. The only source of light came from the flickering of a fire that was large enough to provide just enough warmth for the inhabitants._

_In sight of the open door was a large chair, and there seemed to be something in it, but there was no way to get a better look. There was a short, stump of a man with a long black cloak and bald patch on his head pacing between the fire and the chair._

"_My . . . m-my Lord," the short man began, "preparations are already underway! If we abandon the plan—"_

"_We will not abandon the plan, Wormtail!" a raspy and cold voice said. "That plan will continue. This is merely a small diversion, one that will work alongside the original plan so that I may become more powerful."_

_Wormtail fell to his knees in front of the chair, and held his hands up in a pleading way, "M-Master, are you sure they have the powers you speak of? You never mentioned them until—"_

"_That's because they were never here before you fool!" the Dark Lord snapped. "I only felt their presence today, and they hold more power than you could ever imagine," he said almost dreamily, "And that is why we must take it for ourselves, or else Dumbledore will find a way to use them against me, and I fear I might not be able to resist ones with such power."_

_Wormtail gasped, afraid to speak. People more powerful than the Dark Lord? In his mind he feared what would happen if his master gained even more power than he already had, yet he quickly dismissed it, since his master was able to see into his thoughts._

_Apparently the Dark Lord didn't notice, he noted with relief. "So, what would you have me do, Master?"_

_The Dark Lord gave a small chuckle. "Inform my faithful servant in Hogwarts of the extra preparations he must make, and make it clear that this is _very _important."_

_Wormtail nodded fervently before suddenly disappearing._

_The room was silent for a little while, and then the Dark Lord began to laugh. Slowly at first, but then it grew in intensity until the whole house shook with his laughter and happiness. If this new plan succeeded, there would be no one who could stand in his way, not even the infamous Harry Potter._

The dark haired boy woke up with a jolt and rubbed his scar. _Strange, _he thought groggily, _I don't . . . don't remember Voldemort being this happy before._ Then he drifted off to sleep, only to completely forget about his dream in the morning.

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**Update as of 1/30/11: I am working on revamping this story and fixing all horrible mistakes. If you're just reading this now please be patient with me as I start making this transition. The chapters with a title at the top is pretty much the main indication that I've worked on that page. **


	2. Surprises and Supplies

**Okay, I want to thank all the people who have reviewed:** Silver Wolves Bane, blueinu, Saka Salrin, Chibi Strawberry, Aaah-Chaa,** and** grumpywinter**. Thanks a lot guys!**

**Here you go! This takes place right after the shinobi left the dungeon.**

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Chapter 2: Surprises and Supplies

The peculiar group wound their way through the school and the three shinobi were in awe of how seemingly endless it appeared to be. Coming out of the dungeons had been rather uneventful, but when they started up the first set of stairs, Naruto yelped in surprise when a portrait asked him where he was from.

Of course, the blond had no idea what the portrait was asking him; all he cared about was the fact that it _was_ speaking to him. As he jumped behind Kakashi, Gaara sent out his sand to surround the moving picture for questioning, only to discover that he no longer had his sand with him.

Slightly put out, Gaara simply glared at the oddly dressed man who quickly vacated his portrait as fast as he could, furious for feeling so helpless. His sand had been with him ever since he could remember, and even though he had used it to murder innocent victims before he learned that there was more to life than killing, it still left him experiencing a deep sense of loneliness. He would have to find some sand at this "Hogwarts" and begin to mold his chakra into it.

Dumbledore's eye twinkled as he held back laughter and explained to the ninja that here at Hogwarts there were surprises around every corner, but they had nothing to fear. With that said, the three shinobi were able to hold back their surprise at encountering suits of armor also capable of speech and staircases that liked to change. However, Naruto was not prepared for what lay in store at the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

They were walking along while Dumbledore calmly informed them about the different houses at Hogwarts, how they worked together, and how classes were carried out, when Nearly Headless Nick appeared from behind a wall. He was rambling on about how he heard a rumor that there were foreigners inside Hogwarts. Naruto froze, his eyes bulged to an amazing size, knees trembling, and beads of sweat poured down his face as his whole frame shook like he was experiencing a seizure. Kakashi gulped, recalling all too well of Naruto's great fear of ghosts, realizing that this would not go over well.

When Sir Nicholas turned to face Naruto, the young shinobi let out a shriek that reverberated throughout the entire school and onto the grounds. Even Hagrid's dog, Fang, whined at the noise. After about a minute of screaming, Naruto began running up the closest wall in a desperate attempt to escape one of his worst fears. Dumbledore was amazed at the display; he had never seen anyone run up a wall on all fours before. Perhaps these visitors had more surprises up their sleeves than he originally believed.

With a sigh Kakashi sprinted up the wall after him, uncovering his left eye in the process. When his frightened pupil swung around to face him, he unveiled his Sharingan and put Naruto to sleep. A few seconds later Kakashi landed softly on the ground with an unconscious Naruto tucked under his arm.

"_Please continue_," he apologized. "_He'll wake up soon enough_."

Dumbledore nodded, kindly excused himself from Sir Nicholas, and muttered the password, "Canary Cream." The winged creature before him to rotate upwards, revealing a spiral staircase. Gaara eyed the retreating ghost warily, not particularly fond of ghosts either.

Inside Dumbledore's office, Naruto slowly woke up, and after being assured that there were no more ghosts _(at least in the room)_ he calmly stood between Gaara and Kakashi in front of Dumbledore's desk. As they examined the strange room with curiosity, an old woman dressed in a dark green dress, black hat with a crooked tip, and small glasses burst through the door.

"Albus! Is it true?" she asked in alarm. Then her gaze rested on the three ninjas in front of her and she gasped, resting her hand on her chest. She turned slowly to the headmaster.

"How could they have possibly come here?" she inquired, a little more calmly.

"I do not know, Minerva," he answered with a shake of his head. "But I trust that Severus will—" At that second the door burst open a second time. "Ah," he finished.

"Headmaster," Snape began, lowering his head slightly, "I believe we shall find that the answer lies within Mr. Longbottom's cauldron."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, yes of course. But first, I believe we must help our guests here be better able to understand what's going on." At that he stepped out from behind his desk and drifted towards the fidgety trio.

Naruto's hand kept drifting over to his weapons pouch and Gaara appeared to be flexing his fingers in irritation at the absence of his sand. Listening to a language they didn't know in a strange magical place was unnerving. Kakashi was the only one who appeared to be relaxed, but he kept surveying the room, anticipating all possible courses of escape should the situation require it.

"_There is a spell I can do that will act as a translator, so you can communicate with the rest of us, and they can communicate with you_," Dumbledore began in their language. He examined all three for a moment. "_May I see your, um . . ._" He gestured to their foreheads.

"_Our Hitai-ates, forehead protectors_," Kakashi informed him.

Dumbledore nodded, "_If you let me see your Hitai-ates, then I can put the spell on it. And you can still speak in your own language when you take them off, or concentrate very hard when you wear them_," he added when Naruto opened his mouth in protest.

The three shinobi were relieved. It was highly unlikely that they would have the time to discard them if they were in trouble so they could fight properly. Their jutsu probably wouldn't work if they spoke this other language.

When Dumbledore extended his hand they relinquished their symbols of ninja rank. Gaara did so easily, not all that attached to his village, Naruto did so reluctantly because it was the one Iruka-sensei gave him, and Kakashi was hesitant as well. After being cursed with that scar on his left eye for over a decade he was used to stares, but that didn't mean he necessarily enjoyed them.

He groaned mentally as he untied the cloth. If Dumbledore was surprised he showed no inclination, however the other wizards in the room weren't as skilled at concealing emotions. The green witch let out a small gasp as she looked at him with pitying eyes, the greasy man in black with an abnormally large nose cocked his eyebrows in surprise, and the young one who carried a black pot whimpered slightly, although Kakashi surmised that it was due more to the fact that he was dragged to this strange room by the dark-haired wizard.

The old man laid each Hitai-ate in his hand, then withdrew a long stick and aimed it at the cloths, muttering a long string of words underneath his breath and moving the stick in a circle. Once he was finished there was a flash of blue light and the spell was completed.

With a smile, Dumbledore handed back the Hitai-ates, and once the ninja placed them in their appropriate places they experienced a tingling sensation that lasted for a few seconds.

"Now let me see that cauldron of yours, Neville." As the headmaster inspected the pot, he turned to Snape. "What potion did you have them make, Severus?"

"The Akáidelian Potion, headmaster." Dumbledore appeared thoughtful for a moment, stroking his white beard absentmindedly.

"Were you all summoned here, or was it one particular person?" he inquired of the shocked ninjas, who were amazed at the fact that they could understand everyone speaking now.

"It was me," Gaara said simply. The headmaster examined the redhead for a moment before taking out his wand and pointed it into his other hand.

"_Arenous_," he mumbled. Suddenly a red static discharge burst from the wand tip into Dumbledore's hand, and sand appeared as if falling from an hourglass. Once it was finished, he held out the hand of sand to Gaara.

"Can you do anything with this?"

Kakashi was amazed at how the stick created sand out of nowhere, and decided that he would have to copy the movements of these wizards and their sticks with his Sharingan someday.

Gaara frowned at the sand, then nodded and extended his hand palm up where Dumbledore deposited the minuscule grains. The Suna shinobi covered them with his other hand and closed his eyes in concentration, molding his chakra into it. The wizards were shocked when blue energy surrounded his cupped hands, vibrating with life.

After a minute or so Gaara opened his eyes and unfolded his hands, palms facing the old man with spectacles and commanded the sand to circle around him in thin lines.

Neville's eyes widened in astonishment as well as Snape and McGonagall, while Dumbledore chuckled. After making his point, Gaara summoned the sand back to him and attached it to his right hand like a glove. Even though it was a small amount, he was at least properly armed now.

"I see my suspicions were correct. You see, the Akáidelian Potion is used to transform any substance it touches into sand," Dumbledore explained, "which can be very useful depending on your situation. It seems that Neville," _(he gestured to the fidgety boy to his left)_ "made a few errors in his preparation and instead of harboring the ability to _transform_ sand, it summoned a person capable of _controlling_ it."

Dumbledore then gave them a pitying glance. "The only problem is that I have no idea whether you three were summoned from another dimension or another place in time."

"You mean we won't be able to go back home?" Naruto said, clearly distraught.

"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest wizard of our time," McGonagall assured them. "If there is a way to send you back, he will find it."

Dumbledore waved off the compliment. "Yes, yes. I will put all my efforts into achieving any means to send you back to your home, but for now you are guests at our school and may learn magic alongside your pupils if you wish, to keep you from being bored. It appears that you have some magical potential—"

"Chakra," Naruto corrected him, before he could stop himself.

"What you call chakra," Dumbledore continued, "so I see no reason in not being able to give you permission to learn. Our gamekeeper Hagrid will take you to Diagon Alley to purchase supplies, and he should actually be here any minute."

As if on cue, the steel doors reverberated three solid knocks, and Dumbledore bade him enter. Naruto gasped at the sight of the large man. His face was obscured by a shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard. He wore a large brown cloak with many pockets, and his beady eyes shone out like black beetles.

"What'd yeh need me fer, Professor Dumbledore?" he asked.

"Ah, just who I wanted to see." He gestured to the shinobi. "Through an unfortunate accident, they have been summoned to our school, and until we discover where they belong, they shall stay at Hogwarts, and they would appreciate it if you would take them to Diagon Alley." Hagrid glanced at the strange group of people before nodding his agreement.

"Now, if you excuse us, Severus, I believe you have a class to run, and Neville, you have more classes to attend." The greasy man vacated the office with a tiny glance over his shoulder, while Neville turned to the headmaster.

"I-I'm sorry for causing so much trouble," he muttered, not meeting the headmaster's eyes.

"It's all right Neville, you didn't mean to," Dumbledore said. Then he placed his hands on Neville's shoulders and whispered so that only Neville could hear, "I must say though, that summoning three people from across time and space like that is something only a great and powerful wizard can accomplish. Your parents would be proud." Then he winked and sent Neville on his way.

The poor boy stood there for a moment, then when it sunk in that Dumbledore called him a great wizard, blushed with embarrassment and his eyes watered. He quickly shuffled to the door.

"Oh, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone what happened here," Dumbledore called after Neville. "Now Hagrid, here are the items you need to get them. . ."

Naruto turned to Gaara. "Do you think we'll ever get home?" he wondered fearfully. All his hard work and effort he had put into his short thirteen years of life were all for the dream of becoming Hokage. If he never went home, what would he do with the rest of his life?

His friend simply shrugged. "Dumbledore seems to have great power, so he might be able to send us home. If a mere student could bring us here, I'm sure he'd be able to send us back."

"Besides," Kakashi interjected. "Think of this as a mission, a Reconnaissance mission."

Naruto squinted. "Recon—ai—sence?"

His sensei chuckled. "It means that you gather as much information about the enemy or a new area as you can to see if it's dangerous or not. While we stay here we can learn all about this _magic_ and use it to our advantage when we go back home. This information we have could prove valuable should we encounter enemies with their same power, and to maybe developing a new jutsu." His student's mood rapidly changed from depressed to excited in a matter of seconds.

"A new jutsu? All by myself? Maybe I could make the greatest jutsu ever that's only worthy of a Hokage!" As the two attempted to calm the rambunctious child, Professor McGonagall was observing them and listening in on their conversation.

"Right." Dumbledore clapped his hands, signaling to the three that he was finished with Hagrid. "You will travel to Diagon Alley by Floo Powder."

Naruto smirked. "_Floo Powder?_ What kind of name is that?" he whispered to Gaara. The redhead had to agree, it was rather strange name.

"Hagrid, if you may show our guests?" Dumbledore said. He gestured to a wide fireplace behind them and to their right.

"O'course." Dumbledore performed a quick flick of his wand and the fireplace mantle shot up, adding quite a few more feet.

They watched curiously as the large man grabbed a handful of a very fine powder, stepped into the enlarged fireplace, and yelled, "Diagon Alley!" He then threw the powder down and became enveloped in powerful green flames, vanishing as the fire did.

There was silence as they pondered this new method of travel, before Naruto bellowed, "You can travel by _fire?_ I wanna go next!" The method of travel was quite appealing, but the other two were more suspicious. How would you avoid getting burned? Was this the wizard's way of getting rid of them? Were the kind words spoken to them from before used to lull them into a false sense of security? Those wizards _had _been speaking in another language before they were able to understand just what was being discussed.

Before Kakashi could stop him, Naruto jumped into the fireplace and repeated the process. He disappeared in powerful flames that consumed his body.

Kakashi swung around to face Dumbledore with a skeptic look on his face. "This is not a trick?"

The old man shook his head. "This is the fastest and most efficient way for you to travel such a long distance, and I assure you that Naruto is all right." The copy ninja figured all he could do was trust the old man, yet before he could follow Naruto, Gaara was already in the fireplace and had just finished the incantation. As soon as the flames disappeared, Kakashi followed suit.

* * *

Once his view of Dumbledore's office disappeared, Kakashi felt himself being sucked through a small hole. He was spinning so fast he started to feel a little nauseous but then suddenly everything stopped and his feet landed on cold tile. He stumbled out of the fireplace and noticed Gaara and Naruto were experiencing the same nausea he was.

"Don' worry," Hagrid chuckled. "After a while yeh get used ter it." The shinobi only grunted in reply. "Follow me."

The new room they found themselves in was a dark and shabby place. It was obviously a bar with a few customers quietly drinking and smoking. The bald and toothless bartender smiled at them. When he noticed Hagrid he walked over to them while wiping the inside of a glass.

After glancing at his three guests with a curious eye, the bartender sighed. "Here on Hogwarts business again, I presume?" Hagrid nodded.

"Don' worry Tom, I'll come back 'nother time." As they turned to follow Hagrid, Kakashi noticed all the customers turn and face them. Some sputtered in their drinks at the sight, and Kakashi sighed. _Was this going to happen wherever they went? _It's not like they were dressed _that_ strangely, right?

"Why are we in such a small room, Hagrid?" Naruto piped up once they entered a closet of some sort with a large, red brick wall on one side.

"Won't be small fer long." Hagrid pulled out a pink umbrella and muttered to himself. "Three up . . . two across . . . Stand back." After tapping a brick three times with the tip of his umbrella, it quivered, then wriggled, and a small hole in the middle grew wider and wider until there was an archway that even Hagrid could fit through easily.

The three shinobi gazed in awe at the brightly colored shops that adorned the cobbled street. Each found themselves wishing they could read the signs that hung over each shop, yet from the displays in the windows, one could make a fair assessment. There were cauldrons similar to what the Neville boy carried, a library, a various assortment of owls, candy shops, and one that displayed odd brooms like they were valuable.

"Hagrid! Hagrid!" Naruto tugged on the man's cloak sleeve and pointed to a shop. "Why is there a store for brooms?"

Hagrid frowned but once he saw where Naruto was pointing let out a cheerful laugh. "Those aren' just any brooms," he said, "Wizards use them ter fly, an' play Quidditch—"

"FLY?" Naruto squealed. "That's so cool! I wanna fly!"

Hagrid chuckled. "Maybe at the school we can get yeh ter try a school broom later."

"Yeah! I can't wait!" Hagrid smiled as the blond jumped up and down. He then turned to face the redhead that was evidently trying to conceal his amazement at everything in Diagon Alley; giving off the impression that he was bored. Hagrid had been around enough kids to know differently though. Shifting his gaze to Kakashi, Hagrid noted that he seemed the most comfortable. His hands were stuck in his pockets and glanced from shop to shop curiously as they made their way down the narrow street.

"Hey, Hagrid? What's _that_?" Naruto was pointed to a large white building.

"Ah, Gringotts. A wizard's bank run by goblins and protected by dragons. I had a dragon once, you know," he muttered nostalgically.

Everyone looked at him in alarm.

"_Real_ dragons?" Gaara asked with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Yep. But ther really magnificent creatures, nuthin' ter worry about," Hagrid said. Gaara scowled and muttered something about not being scared.

"Well, this is where yeh get yer wands. I've got ter go ter the bank, so I'll catch up with yeh in a little bit." With that he bade them goodbye and left them in front of a green shop with gold lettering. They entered silently and found themselves in a dimly lit room that had some chairs, a desk, and then rows and rows of thin boxes piled as high as the ceiling.

"Good afternoon," welcomed a soft voice. The ninja turned around to see an elderly man with silver eyes peeking behind one of the rows of boxes. If he found their appearance odd, he didn't show it.

"Hold out your wand arm," he ordered calmly, pulling out a tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. When he was met with confused stares, he added, "The one you write with."

They each held out their right arm and gasped in amazement as the tape measure began taking measurements on its own. When it was finished, the man nodded and walked over to the boxes.

"My name is Mr. Ollivander," he announced politely as he rummaged through them.

"Naruto!"

"Gaara."

"Kakashi." He kept his composure neutral, but Mr. Ollivander could tell these visitors were most unusual. The energy they harnessed was in a more complicated and complex pattern throughout their body than wizards. The implications of their power excited him. He hadn't felt this giddy since the day the young Mr. Harry Potter came into his shop.

"Here you go young man," Ollivander announced, carrying an oak colored wand to the boy in orange. "Eleven inches. Oak. Very sturdy. Give it a slight flick of the wrist, releasing some of your magic—"

"Chakra," the boy corrected.

"Chakra into it." Quite peculiar.

Naruto eagerly grasped the wand and charged it with so much chakra it glowed blue then exploded in a shower of blue sparks. Naruto yelped as his sleeve was singed.

"How about this?" Mr. Ollivander suggested sadly. He never had a customer blow up his precious wands before. Having a wand not work was exciting because it presented a challenge, but in all those instances the wand was still intact. "Just make sure to put a _little_ bit of your chakra into it."

Naruto grinned sheepishly and controlled the amount of chakra he put into the next wand. As he slashed it down, it let out a shower of red and gold sparks, to which Mr. Ollivander nodded.

"Very good. That was ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy." Then he turned to Gaara, who was more controlled than Naruto with his use of the wands.

A few minutes later they were finished with their selection; Gaara with a nine inch willow and unicorn hair wand, and Kakashi with an eleven inch yew and phoenix feather. Just then Hagrid burst through the doors, and after saying hello to Mr. Ollivander, paid for the wands and led them out the door.

_Very powerful people_, Mr. Ollivander thought to himself as they left. _Very powerful indeed_.

"Hagrid," Kakashi protested. "We don't want to put you at an inconvenience—" The half-giant waved him off.

"Don' worry. Hogwarts has a fund fer students who can' afford materials. Besides, it's the least we can do fer bringin' yeh here against yer will." With that said, they continued on to purchase the rest of the supplies.

By the time they were gratefully back at Hogwarts _(Floo Powder quickly became their least favorite method of travel)_ it was past dinnertime.

"Tomorrow you will be sorted into a house," Dumbledore said. "It will be only Naruto and Gaara though. I'm sorry Kakashi, but you are too old for our program. You may, however, study in the library, practice skills on your own, attend classes alongside them, or anything else that will be suitable.

"Until you are sorted, we have some beds available in the hospital wing. I'm sorry to say that we normally don't have guests here at Hogwarts," Dumbledore apologized, "but once the two of you are sorted we will have arrangements made for all of you."

At the infirmary, Dumbledore pointed to a dish on one of the trays. "This will keep refilling itself with sandwiches until you are full. This is pumpkin juice," he said, pointing to a jug that sat next to three silver goblets, "and I daresay it is a favorite among students. Goodnight."

Silently, the three ninja ate their full of sandwiches _(Naruto eating the most despite the fact that he complained about there not being any ramen) _and Kakashi and Naruto settled down peacefully on their own cots. Gaara sighed and sat down on another, fiddling around with the small amount of sand he now possessed.

There were times when he really _hated_ not being able to sleep.

* * *

**As a note, Naruto's wand was one Harry tried out in the first book, Gaara's was a slight alteration of Lily Potter's wand, and Kakashi's is a slight alteration of Voldemort's wand, whose wand was thirteen-and-a-half inches. **


	3. Making New Friends

** BIG THANKS to all those who reviewed! I went ecstatic when I came home after my ten days in Costa Rica and got 10 reviews! Those amazing people are, **Loner Kitsune Girl, The High Demon Lord, Chibi Strawberry, Saka Salrin, Lily Uzimaki, Sabaku no Rebecca, Lily Yamamoto, blueinu, icegoddess52, **and** Wonderfoal.

**So, uh . . . here you go!**

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* * *

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Chapter 3: Making New Friends

The Great Hall was unnaturally quiet the next morning, due in part to the fact that the foreigners were standing in front of the teachers' table. Many students were disappointed to notice that the two younger ones were not wearing the strange apparel they had heard about.

Naruto abandoned the orange jumpsuit, opting instead for the gray shirt he wore underneath and some baggy jeans, with black robes loosely covering his person, and his necklace from Tsunade proudly gleaming in the candlelight. Gaara wore a maroon shirt with brown khakis underneath his robes. Kakashi wore no robes and did not alter his appearance. He felt they were too bulky and restricted his movement.

Naruto had his hands behind his head, seemingly bored as he squinted at the other students, as if sizing them up. Gaara had his arms crossed, examining the students with a penetrating glare that made many under his gaze uncomfortable. Kakashi merely smiled at the students and gave an offhanded wave to a young Hufflepuff who was staring at him. She blushed and looked away quickly.

"Good morning to you all!" Dumbledore began, raising his hands in a greeting. "As you have probably already heard, through an extremely unforeseeable turn of events, we have three visitors who will be staying with us for an unknown amount of time. Their names are Kakashi, Naruto, and Gaara," he said, pointing to each in turn. "I trust that you all will do your part to make them feel welcome." Dumbledore clapped his hands, signaling everyone else to do the same. "Now, if you would sit here, please?"

Naruto followed his gaze to the wooden stool and sat cautiously, meeting everyone's stares with a determined look. Professor McGonagall had barely placed the Sorting Hat on his head before it bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!" which as met with somewhat enthused clapping from the Gryffindor students. Naruto joined them after casting a rather wistful glance back at Gaara, and then sat next to the brown-haired girl he had talked to upon their arrival. Remaining ignorant of the stares due undoubtedly to his headband and unique hairstyle, Naruto calmly waited for Gaara to finish.

Gaara sat down with his arms crossed, and met everyone's gazes with such a penetrating stare many had to look away. As soon as the hat was placed on his head it began whispering to him in his head, almost causing the boy to jump in surprise.

"_Plenty of talent . . . concerned only for yourself . . . no bonds . . . loneliness . . . "_

_No! _Gaara thought furiously as panic started to seep in. _I used to, but not anymore! I'm trying to change! Don't separate me from Naruto, _he ordered. He was still a bit new at this whole friendship thing, but he knew that he definitely wanted to be with Naruto.

"_Are you sure? Slytherin would work out best . . . wait . . . I see it now . . . old desires replaced . . . a desire to protect, a desire to help others . . . _GRYFFINDOR!"

Gaara breathed a small sigh of relief. He wasn't sure about what Slytherin was like, but if was for people like who he was before, he wanted nothing to do with them. All that mattered was that he was with Naruto.

McGonagall was shocked. Judging by her first feelings for the boy, she was positive that he would be added to Slytherin, and it appeared that many others shared her feelings as well. These newcomers were apparently not what they originally seemed. Naruto immediately broke into a grin as Gaara sat down next to him, giving him a good thump on the back. Upon noticing at least one of the newcomers was capable of normal human expressions, the tension soon dissipated and people slowly chatted amongst themselves again.

In the midst of this, Kakashi found himself in a very awkward situation. Where was he going to sit? To his relief, Hagrid called his name quietly and gestured to an open seat beside him, beckoning him to sit.

Kakashi nodded slightly, and muttered a thank you as he sat down. He then gave a bit of a skeptical glance towards the Sorting Hat as McGonagall put it off to the side. Judging by the way Gaara reacted, it appeared that the hat was able to speak into the mind of the person upon who's head it sat. Then it somehow was able to judge a person's character and then place them in the appropriate House.

The jounin suddenly found himself grateful that he wasn't to be sorted, because there was no way he'd be sorted anywhere but Slytherin. And from what he had seen from the way the students in that House acted and the way everyone else regarded them, he would end up hard pressed to gain the trust of anyone else.

"Yes, yes. Now, without further ado, let's eat!" Everyone's fascination with the newcomers vanished as the highly anticipated food magically appeared in front of them.

Naruto squealed in pleasure at the abundance of food and put as much on his plate as he could. Even Gaara's eyes widened slightly at the wide assortment of dishes, where every food imaginable seemed to appear, with some he didn't even recognize.

As people began to devour the mountain of nourishment on their plates, many stole curious glances at Kakashi, eager to witness the unveiling of his face. Sensing their eyes on him, Kakashi peered up, causing many to look away quickly. He sighed. He _really_ hated eating this way, but he figured it came with wearing the mask.

_It'll be fun to mess with them, anyway,_ he figured, trying to convince himself. There was always a sort of satisfaction he gained by squandering Naruto's hopes of seeing his face, just like it had with Obito. And sure enough, Kakashi spotted Naruto attempting to appear sly in hopes of watching him eat. With a concealed smirk, Kakashi dramatically lowered his mask half an inch, and then after everyone blinked, the food was gone. Kakashi leaned back in his chair smugly, becoming the topic of conversation for most of breakfast.

Having filled his plate, Naruto leaned over and whispered to Gaara, "Oi! Where are the chopsticks?"

Gaara frowned and picked up the two metal devices and examined them curiously, holding them up to the light. Then he stared at the people around them and answered, "I think these _wizards_ use these things." Naruto cocked an eyebrow and joined Gaara in attempting to use the strange utensils, not noticing the stares from three students.

"We didn't get to be properly introduced before," the brown-haired girl said, sticking out her hand to Naruto. "My name is Hermione Granger." Naruto turned to her, his mouth full of food, then quickly swallowed it in one gulp and grinned.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" he bellowed happily. He gave her a small bow before returning to his meal. Hermione was too stunned at his actions that her hand stayed frozen where it was, and Naruto turned back around to her. He squinted at the hand as if he expected something to happen. "Did you hurt your hand?" The girl blinked and answered cautiously,

"Um, you're supposed to shake it."

"Oh, okay!" Then he gripped her fingers and shook her hand so hard that her whole body moved along. Seemingly pleased with his performance he held out his hand to Gaara. "This is fun! Come on, Gaara!"

The redhead gave him a glare that said _there-is-no-way-in-hell-I'm-ever-going-to-do-that_ before returning to his meal. Slightly put out, Naruto shrugged and attempted to use the pointed utensil to eat his mashed potatoes.

"Hey!" he whispered at the dark haired boy with glasses in front of him. "How do you use these?"

Harry was momentarily stunned as he sat there gaping at Naruto with a drumstick halfway to his mouth. "Like this." Then he demonstrated for the shinobi with an awkward smile. _These guys are weird!_ he thought.

"Oh, okay. What're your names?" Naruto's voice reminded Harry of Colin Creevey, yet with a Japanese accent and much, _ much _louder.

"Harry Potter, and this is Ron Weasley," he added, pointing to a redhead next to him who was currently stuffing his face with sausages.

"Well, hello Granger-san, Potter-san, and Weasley-san!"

At Harry and Ron's looks of confusion at being called by their last name by a fellow student, Hermione quickly explained, "Naruto, here at Hogwarts, we say our family name last. And you don't have to be so formal with us," she added as an afterthought.

"Oh! Well, sorry, Hermione, Harry, and Ron. This is Gaara, and he's really nice once you get to know him," he assured them when he noticed they glanced at him with trepidation. Gaara turned to the blond with a frown, not understanding his friends' remark, then shrugged it off and returned to his meal, deciding it wasn't worth fretting about.

"So, where're you from?" Rom asked between helpings of sausage.

"The villages Hidden in the Leaves and Hidden in the Sand, or Konoha and Suna," Naruto informed them, pointing to each in turn. Harry fought the urge not to laugh at the odd images that came to mind.

"Why is it a _hidden _village?" he asked instead.

"It's not hidden like you think," Naruto said. "It just shows that we are a shinobi village for our country."

"You are from different countries?" Harry asked. "How did Neville bring you both here then?"

Naruto frowned in confusion for a second, then explained, "Oh, he was in Konoha hospital with me because we were injured in the battle with the Shin—Shipp . . ." _(he struggled to remember the name) _" . . . people who kidnapped Matsuri."

"Matsuri?"

"Kidnapped?"

Gaara slowly nodded. "She's my apprentice," he explained, speaking for the first time. His voice was rather raspy and thick in a Japanese accent.

"Wait-wait-wait-wait," Hermione said quickly, holding her hand up. "Just how old are you guys?"

"Thirteen."

"And you have an apprentice?"

"And were involved in a battle that sent you to the hospital?" Ron asked, his mouth hanging open. The two strangers slowly nodded, not understanding what was so incredible.

"We've been involved in many missions," Naruto explained, "with some being really dangerous and exiting! Once I slept for three days straight afterwords because I was so tired!"

Hermione looked like she was about to protest, but it was time for their first class. Harry glanced over to Naruto and Gaara who were reading their class schedule, which had been translated into kanji.

"What's Divination?"

Ron snorted. "The most useless class run by an old bat in spectacles," he explained, provoking laughter from Harry and Hermione.

Naruto opened his mouth in amazement. "They let ANIMALS teach here? Wow, if Kiba were here he'd probably have Akamaru teach!" he added in an undertone to himself.

"Uh, no, she's not really a bat," Harry said frantically. "That's just what she looks like. Ron and I also have that class, so we'll show you where it is."

* * *

The two shinobi thought they were going to die. The stench of perfume was so overpowering it practically sent them to their knees when they first entered as the scent washed over them. Being shinobi, their sense of smell was extremely heightened so this was akin to torture.

"Sit down, sit down," a misty voice said. Naruto decided Ron's description of Trelawney was correct; she _did_ look like a bat with huge glasses on.

"So, these are the newcomers? It was shown to me that they would come, of course," she pronounced dramatically as she glided over to them. "Now, what are your names, dear boys?"

"If she saw they would come, how can she not know their names?" Ron whispered to Harry.

"Mr. Weasley!" Her usual misty voice was now high and shrill. "Those gifted with the Inner Eye do not bother themselves with trivial pursuits such as names! We focus on the events of what is to happen! Now," _(her voice became misty again)_ "your names, please?" Once they had been properly introduced, the lesson proceeded.

"Now, I want you to take turns telling each other about your dreams, while the other interprets them using _Unfogging the Future _as a reference."

Gaara mentally groaned. He never dreamed. So he ended up being forced to listen to Naruto ramble on and on about dreams of eating ramen with Sakura, finding Sasuke, and becoming Hokage the whole class period.

Towards the end of class, Trelawney appeared beside him unexpectedly. "What have you determined from your dreams?"

Gaara shrugged. "I don't have dreams."

Trelawney shook her head sadly. "My dear, everyone has dreams! Sometimes we just don't remember them. Try harder, and you shall remember at least one." Naruto snorted, bringing half the class's attention over to them.

Gaara just stared back at the woman with a deadpanned expression. "I don't have dreams, because I don't sleep. Ever." People began whispering among themselves about the interesting news.

The Professor was confused. "Dear boy, I would ask that you stop messing around," she said. "Tell me one of your dreams!" Gaara sighed.

"I have never slept a day in my life. I never dream, I can't do this assignment." Naruto nodded in agreement, chuckling softly to himself at the look on the old lady's face.

"Young man! I will not tolerate this foolishness! If you don't tell me a dream, then I will be forced to take drastic measures!" Gaara was beginning to get a headache from her yelling, coupled with the highly scented perfumes that were interfering with his ability to think properly. He could feel Shukaku moving within him restlessly.

"As I said before, I don't sleep. If you are so gifted at what you call 'Inner Eye' then you should know that I'm telling the truth, as well as the reason why I do not sleep. Can you tell me that?" Everyone was shocked at his blatant defiance. Ron silently raised a fist in excitement beneath his table, provoking a smirk from Harry.

"I . . . I—I um . . . well . . ."

"I can see that you have nothing to teach me, which means I cannot waste my time here." With that said, the reserved ninja stood up and left the classroom. It was like Hermione all over again.

Once his footsteps could no longer be heard descending the spiral staircase, Trelawney faced her students.

"Well, I never . . . everyone return to the activity until class is over." Then she walked away to the center of the room, mumbling something about _"disrespectful foreigners."_

* * *

That evening, after dinner, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Naruto, and Gaara were in the common room. Hermione was curled up comfortably in her favorite chair, while Harry and Naruto discussed Trelawney's homework. Naruto was making up dreams for both of them while Harry wrote them down. Ron was teaching Gaara wizard's chess, because the shinobi had been intrigued by how the pieces moved when you told them to. Kakashi was examining a bookshelf in a far corner of the room.

"So, what are these 'missions' like that you go on?" Ron asked.

"Oh _please_, Ron," Hermione snapped over her Ancient Runes book. "There is no way a bunch of thirteen-year-olds could be involved in any sort of battle that will endanger their lives. They're just making it up."

Gaara sent her a small scowl from where he sat, and the next thing Hermione knew, her book was wrenched out of her hands and brought over to Gaara by a pile of levitating sand.

After allowing a few seconds of surprise, Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow and mocked, "Making it up?" Naruto laughed at the expression on the witch's face.

"Wicked!" Ron whistled.

"What else can you do?" Harry asked, inching closer and abandoning his homework.

Gaara simply shrugged. "I'll need more sand."

Naruto piped up, "I can make shadow clones!"

The trio was confused. "You can make different shadows of yourself?" Ron wondered aloud.

Naruto shook his head, appalled by their lack of knowledge. "No, I can make actual clones of myself, solid ones, and that is very advanced!" There was no doubt that he was exceptionally proud of this.

Hermione sighed as if talking to a child. "Naruto, there is no possible way you could clone yourself! It's scientifically impossible. The process takes years, beginning by isolating a nucleus from a somatic cell of an adult donor and then inserting it into—"

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Suddenly there was a large cloud of smoke that surrounded him, and when it cleared away, there were four Narutos grinning at her.

A shadow of a smirk settled on Gaara's face while the three friends stared at the clones in amazement.

"Told you I could," four Narutos said at once.

Hermione just stood there stuttering. Ron shook his head and slapped one of the Narutos on the back.

"That was wicked!" He glanced at Hermione. "Looks like the laws of science failed you!"

Harry agreed, yet he was amazed Hermione didn't notice already that the normal laws of science didn't necessarily apply to even wizards. Naruto sniggered and put his hands behind his head while his clones disappeared in a cloud of smoke with a small popping sound.

"So, you really were telling the truth," Hermione said slowly.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Of course!"

"What's a typical mission like?" Hermione asked in spite of herself. And so, the next half hour or so was spent discussing the different mission classifications, who they were handed out to, and what typically happened on each assignment. Once the wizards had achieved a more thorough understanding about the shinobi world, Hermione muttered, "How could they force little kids to do that?"

Naruto frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"What do _you_ mean? You go into this Academy when you're _five _to learn how to be a ninja and taught how to _kill _other human beings! What kind of a _society_ do you live in?" Hermione was apparently very distraught, and Harry and Ron hadn't seen her this worked up since she learned about the enslaving of house-elves.

"How dare you make fun of my village!" Naruto shouted.

Gaara also seemed slightly perturbed. "If we didn't learn how to fight, then we wouldn't be able to protect our village from other villages or those who want to attack us."

"Yeah, what he said! Also, becoming a ninja is really tough! We need to start early, so we can also replace the older shinobi who die from their missions, which is a great honor to die in battle for your village!"

"But,"_ (Hermione could see the ninja didn't understand her argument) _"Twelve and thirteen-year-olds shouldn't have to risk their lives like that! Sending them into battles that could kill them? You should at least wait until you're older!"

"That's nothing," Naruto said. "My sensei Kakashi was involved in one of the greatest shinobi wars, and he was just a little older than us!" The three sat in astonishment, unable to comprehend it.

Harry glanced over to the man who was inspecting books in the far right corner. _He was in a war at such a young age and survived?_

"He's a genius, and was made a chuunin at six, which takes most genin years to become." Naruto leaned in closer and whispered, "In that war, he somehow got his Sharingan in his left eye, yet no one knows how he got it."

"What's a Sharingan?"

"A Bloodline Limit, which is why it's so mysterious! Only the Uchiha clan has it." The wizards were confused as to why a certain clan had whatever this _Sharingan_ was, but they didn't really have the patience to sit through another lecture.

"So, why does he cover his mouth with that mask?" Ron asked instead.

Naruto sighed in frustration. "No one knows! I've been trying for _years_ to find out, but none of my plans ever work!" He dropped his voice to a dramatic whisper. "I think it's because he has fat girly lips or big buck teeth—"

"Buck teeth? Who could you be possibly talking about, Naruto?" The startled boy yelped in surprise and fell to the ground. Ron gasped; he had been watching Kakashi while they were talking to make sure he wasn't listening to them, but one second he was on the opposite side of the room, and the next he was whispering in Naruto's ear.

"N-Nothing, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto stammered.

Kakashi smirked.

"Um, Mr. Hatake?" At the mention of his family name, Kakashi seemed to freeze for a brief second, his back rigid, and his hands clenched. Then he regained his composure and said in a slightly nervous voice as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, that was my father. You can call me Kakashi."

"Okay. Well, what exactly is a Sharingan? Naruto said you had one."

Kakashi frowned as Ron, Harry, Hermione, and even Gaara seemed to lean forward in anticipation. The Suna boy had always heard of the stories surrounding the famous copy ninja and his Sharingan, but it was said only his comrades and those he killed had ever seen it.

"Tell you what," he decided, "One of you cast a spell and then I'll copy it with my Sharingan."

"Sure." Harry took out his wand and thought of a spell to use. _But what did he mean by copy? _Oh well. He'd find out soon enough. The spell had to be relatively easy, because Kakashi had never done magic before.

Kakashi lifted his left hand and unveiled the Sharingan. Everyone gasped as they noticed the red pupil with a strange design. It looked like a mutant form of pink-eye to Harry.

"Um," he gulped, not liking being looked at by the red eye. "How about this one?" He pointed at one of his books and chanted, "_Wingardium Leviosa!"_ to which the book rose obediently into the air. Naruto was impressed.

Then Kakashi withdrew his wand and copied Harry's movements exactly. "_Wingardium Leviosa!"_

Everyone gasped as the book he was pointing to rose up so fast and high that it hit the ceiling and cracked it. Harry stared at Kakashi in amazement. _He got it right on his first try, and it was so powerful!_

Kakashi appeared very intrigued. "So, it seems that just copying the movements is not enough." He brought the book down and tried again, this time bringing it up to the same level as Harry's.

Satisfied, he turned to Naruto and Gaara. "Okay, it appears that once you get the wrist movement down, you have to control the amount of chakra that you put into the wand. It's just like our jutsu, because it requires a precise amount of chakra to do certain commands. If there is not enough, nothing happens, and if there is too much, then it goes out of control. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Naruto said. Gaara just nodded thoughtfully.

Harry and Ron were aghast at this. The way they learned spells was by putting whatever amount of energy they felt like, and it was only after hours of practice that they instinctively put the amount of energy they needed to complete the spell.

Hermione was simply amazed. _I thought I was the only one who learned magic that way! And that took me a couple weeks to figure it out. Kakashi truly is a genius!_

Kakashi pocketed his wand and then surveyed the common room. "Well, it appears that it's time to go to bed. Naruto and Gaara follow me. Dumbledore-sama told me where our room is."

As the two followed the silver-haired man, Harry leaned to Hermione. "Why did he called the headmaster, Dumbledore-sama?"

"In their society, it's a way of showing respect for someone who is very powerful or high ranking," she explained as they gathered up their homework.

* * *

"WOW! These beds are HUGE!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped up and down on his four-poster bed. "And they've got curtains!"

"Idiot. Keep it down, people are sleeping," Gaara said. He had to admit that they were very nicely furnished, better than the ones they had at the Kazekage mansion. And these were for mere students!

"Okay, Naruto. That's enough," Kakashi said as he took off his jounin jacket. "Just go to bed." The blond grinned and quickly changed into the pajamas that used to be laid across the bed, but were now in a heap on the floor. As soon as he curled up under the warm blankets he fell asleep.

Gaara watched him and the copy nin fall into a peaceful slumber before mentally groaning and walked back downstairs to the common room. What he didn't notice was Kakashi watching him leave the room. _I wish there was something I could do for him._

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were quietly settling into their beds to the sound of Neville's snores.

"Hey, Harry?" Ron whispered.

"What?"

"Do you really think that Gaara kid doesn't sleep, or was he just angry at Trelawney?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. How could someone never be able to sleep their entire life?"

"Why don't we see?" Harry frowned.

"What if he's in their room?"

Ron thought for a moment. "Well, if I could never sleep, I wouldn't want to be around people who could."

"You got a point. Let's use my cloak, just in case he might see us."

The two friends tiptoed down the stairs underneath the cloak and noticed Gaara sitting next to the fire with Crookshanks on his lap, his chin resting on his fist as if he were bored, and not looking sleepy at all. He looked to be in a trance, just staring at the fire as he absentmindedly stroked the cat, who was enjoying this very much.

Ron smirked. "Didn't think he'd be the cat type, huh?" he whispered to Harry.

"I know you're there, Harry and Ron," Gaara announced, not even looking in their direction. They were speechless.

Harry wrenched the cloak off. "How could you know it was us? We were completely invisible!" he protested, making sure to keep his voice at an appropriate level.

"Yeah, and we were really quiet!" Ron added.

Gaara sighed and turned his attention towards them. "I don't need to _see_ you; I could sense your presence and I have already interpreted your signature chakra or 'magic' as you call it. And actually, you were rather loud. I could hear each of your footsteps. If you want to sneak up on someone you should be more graceful."

Needless to say, they were impressed. "So this is what they teach ya, huh? Wish I could do that," Ron said. He began envisioning being able to use the skill to sneak up on his older brothers.

"Anyway," Harry said, "we just wanted to see . . . um . . . "

"If what I said in Divination was true?" Harry and Ron hesitantly nodded, suddenly feeling foolish and awkward. They hadn't necessarily planned on Gaara actually _noticing _them.

"It is. I've never slept, and I most likely never will." His eyes seemed full of sorrow for a split second, so brief that the two wizards felt like they must have imagined it. Anyhow, they found they had a better understanding of the meaning behind the black circles around Gaara's eyes. The shinobi turned away from them and resumed staring at the fire and stroking Crookshanks. "See you tomorrow."

Ron and Harry took that as a signal to go to bed, which they did quickly. "Goodnight, Gaara," they called over their shoulder.

Gaara's hand froze for a second. Hardly anyone ever bothered to say that to him. _Why were they being so kind? _


	4. Unforgivable Curses

**Hello again! First off, I want to congratulate three star reviewers, who have so far reviewed every chapter: **blueinuSaka Salrin **and** Dragon Alchemist**. Kudos to you!**

**WOW! I got 23 reviews since the last one! Thanks everybody, that's a record for me! Those people are **Lily Yamamoto, actionliker, RobotPirateNinja, Love of Midoriko, Silvernin, Saka Salrin, SupernaturalPirateGirl, blueinu, Hannah Uzumaki, Shadewolf7, Lupanari, WingedIsis16, Lily Uzimaki, FumetsuKaji, LukiLuvsU, SumikaAmayaOblivion, Psycho Dragon Lover, Dragon Alchemist (3), Haily 619, SongoftheDarquePhoenix, **and **Haley!

* * *

Chapter 4: Unforgivable Curses

The next morning, the five who slept met Gaara downstairs for breakfast. Throughout the entire meal Ron was talking nonstop about how excited he was for Moody's class.

"Fred and George say he's really something! They say he does stuff that no other teacher has done before," he said as they tried to eat their meal in peace. "We'll probably learn stuff that only an Auror knows!"

"What's an 'Arer'?" Naruto asked.

"They are elite wizards who capture Dark Wizards and bring them to be judged and sent to Azkaban, the wizard prison," Harry said.

"Oh. We've got something like that too, only we call them ANBU and—"

"Maybe we'll learn something cool enough to use against Malfoy," Ron continued, too caught up in his excitement to hear. The blond stuck out his lower lip and pouted as he finished his meal.

_I don't think he seems like a big deal_, he thought._ They take the dark wizards and bring them to a court of some sort and then they're sent to jail? The ANBU track them down and kill them except for special cases. These wizards are too soft_.

And so it was with skepticism that Naruto entered the DADA classroom with his four friends. Everyone was eerily quiet and seemed as excited as Ron for their teacher to arrive. When he thought he couldn't bear the silence anymore, the strange wizard entered the room with his wooden leg clanking against the floor and his mechanical eye swirling.

Naruto cringed slightly. He had to hand it to the wizard, that eye of his was creepy; even creepier than the Sharingan and the Byakugan.

The crippled wizard began by taking roll, naming off animals that they had previously learned about _(all of which Naruto had never heard of before),_ and then about curses. The blond was inclined to believe that this "Auror" was a little too fond of curses by the way he described how dangerous and powerful they were. There was an edge of awe and almost gentle caress in his voice.

Completely bored, Naruto took out his wand and began playing with it, tuning out the weird professor. It was a skill he honed after many lessons in the Academy with Iruka-sensei.

" . . . to be alert and watchful. You need to put away your wand when I'm talking, Mr. Uzumaki!" At the mention of his name Naruto jumped slightly in his chair and dropped the wand. Apparently, the mechanical eye could see through solid objects just like the Byakugan could.

As Ron named one of the Unforgivable Curses, Naruto decided it was in his best interest to pay attention. He watched as Moody withdrew a glass jar with three spiders inside and held one in the palm of his hand. For some reason, Ron slid back into his seat as far as he could.

"_Imperio!_" The whole class laughed as the spider performed a series of acrobatic moves, but Moody did not.

"Think it's funny, do you?" he growled. "You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?" Everyone shut up.

"Total control," Moody said softly as he made the spider roll around on the desk. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats . . . "

Both shinobi shuddered. They had way too much experience with being forced to do things by an outside, or rather, _inside _force. Naruto decided that he didn't like that curse very much.

"The Imperius Curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he barked, causing everyone to jump.

Naruto turned to Gaara and gave him a grim smirk that didn't reach his eyes, as if saying, _Well, _we_ already know how to do that! _Gaara gave a small nod to show he understood and focused his attention back to the discussion just in time to hear the boy that summoned him there say, "There's one—the Cruciatus Curse."

"Your name's Longbottom?" The boy nodded nervously and Moody got a strange look in his eye, but didn't say anything else. He grabbed a different spider and enlarged it.

"_Crucio!_" The spider immediately began to contort in obvious pain. Without meaning to, Gaara gripped the side of the desk he was sitting at so hard that his knuckles were white and he grit his teeth. The spider reminded him of all the lonely nights he spent wrestling with the demon within him, crying out and rolling on the ground in uncontrollable pain. Naruto noticed his friend's distress and was about to tell the professor to stop when Hermione beat him to it.

"Stop it! Can't you see it's bothering him?" For an instant Naruto thought she was referring to Gaara, but he followed her gaze and noticed it was Neville she was glancing at, who looked exactly like his shinobi friend. Mad-Eye broke off the curse and put away the spider slowly.

"Pain," he said. "You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse . . . "

_Or know how to merge an innocent child with a demon_, Gaara thought dryly, unable to stop himself.

The professor called on Hermione to pronounce the final curse. "_Avada Kedavra_," she whispered.

"Ah, yes. The last and worst . . . the Killing Curse." As the two shinobi looked up in alarm, Moody procured the final spider and pointed his wand at it.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" There was a blinding flash of green light and a rushing sound similar to the sound of wings. Naruto fearfully glanced at the spider, which was on its back unmoving.

He shifted his gaze to Gaara and wondered if his ultimate defense could hold up against something like that. In fact, he wondered if the sand defense would hold up against any curse, seeing as how they weren't necessarily solid objects, just beams of energy.

Turning to the spider, Naruto couldn't help but feel that the Killing Curse wasn't all that bad. There was no blood, no mess, no suffering on the victim's part. They just died. However, it was eerie how something as simple as that could kill a person. The blond was grateful no one knew that curse in his world, because it really wasn't a . . . _cool_ way to die. Sure, a person dying was no laughing matter, but Naruto had sometimes envisioned himself dying in an epic battle while protecting his precious people.

" . . . and there's no counter curse. There's no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me." The two shinobi snapped their attention to Harry, who instantly became incredibly uncomfortable.

_He survived that curse?_ Naruto thought in wonder. _What does he have inside of him that protects him?_ _Does he have a demon like us?_ Naruto decided he would have to ask Harry about it later.

They took notes the rest of the period.

* * *

Later on that day they were in the common room, doing their homework. Naruto was just about to ask Harry about what happened in DADA, when Hermione came down the stairs and announced she was finished with something. When asked what it was, she proclaimed that it was about _spew_.

"What's it for?" Naruto asked.

"To protect house-elf rights and—"

"What's a house-elf?" Hermione stared at him in amazement.

"They are magical creatures who are unfairly and unjustly used to work for wizards. This club will work to secure house-elves wages and working conditions and maybe even set some free!" she said with an excited gleam in her eye.

Gaara frowned and looked at Ron who shook his head frantically, pointed to Hermione, and mouthed, _No_.

Naruto however, did not see Ron, and happily shouted, "I want to join!" Hermione beamed at him approvingly and began furiously discussing how they could achieve their goals while Naruto just nodded along and smiled. He didn't really understand what was going on, but if it meant helping others, he was all for it.

Suddenly the three wizards' attention was focused on some bird that appeared at the window and they abandoned the two shinobi, opting to go over and talk in whispers about someone who was "serious."

Just then Kakashi entered the common room and sat down on the couch next to Gaara, his clothes dirty and it appeared as if his sleeves were slightly singed.

"Where have you been, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto scolded. The jounin yawned lazily.

"Scouting out the grounds of this castle. I ran into Hagrid, and he invited me over to his house. Apparently he is a teacher here and he is in charge of a class called Care of Magical Creatures."

"We have that class tomorrow," Gaara recalled.

Kakashi nodded. "I asked to see what kind of creatures he took care of, and he told me all about them." He said this with a hint of excitement and Naruto understood why. His sensei always had a soft spot for animals, seeing as how he had a whole ninja dog squad, and he undoubtedly missed them. Naruto recalled what they had discussed last night after Gaara had left.

"_Kakashi-sensei," Naruto whispered, sitting up in his bed. The jounin sighed._

"_What is it, Naruto?"_

"_Couldn't you summon Pakkun or something so he could tell baachan where we are? Or I could summon Gamakichi. . . "_

_Kakashi smiled. "I'm proud of you for using your head Naruto, but I've already thought about that, and it is probably best that we don't." At his student's bewildered expression he explained, "I have no idea where we are. That boy may have summoned us to another dimension or across time. Summoning Pakkun might work, but it could put him in danger and he might be lost forever in some dimensional vortex." Naruto couldn't help but notice his sensei said this sadly. _

"_Dumbledore-sama promised that he would find a way back, and I can tell that he is a trustworthy person. We'll just have to wait."_

_Slightly dejected, Naruto nodded his understanding and went to bed._

"The creatures here are amazing, and you will get to see some very interesting ones tomorrow." Judging by his clothes, Naruto guessed that the animal could breathe fire. "I've also found a perfect place to practice sparring," the jounin continued.

"Really? Where?" Naruto was intrigued by this new world, but he wasn't about to get rusty. After all, he _was_ going to become Hokage one day.

"It's this forest right outside the grounds and by Hagrid's house . . . "

* * *

That night Gaara sat down in his favorite chair, only to be joined by Crookshanks a few minutes later. He was glad for the company, because he felt even lonelier at night than he ever felt before. He didn't have his siblings nearby, or his sand, and he was in a completely new place that he didn't know much about.

Of course, having his best _(and only) _friend, Naruto, there with him made it easier. It was nice to be around a person that understood how he felt and what he's gone through. Having the jounin Kakashi was helpful as well, but Gaara really didn't know him that much. He didn't have the same bond that existed between Kakashi and Naruto, which was almost like a fatherly relationship. Or at least, what Gaara _thought_ a father-son relationship was supposed to be. He didn't really have much experience in that matter.

He and Baki were getting along better now, his sensei not having to worry that he'd explode and go on a killing rampage whenever he felt like it anymore. Still, it just wasn't the same.

"Yo." Gaara spun around so fast that Crookshanks fell from his lap onto the floor. The cat hissed at him and bounded away with its shaggy tail held high. The jounin Kakashi was standing by the couch, his hand up in a greeting. Gaara noted with awe that he wasn't able to detect his presence, which was saying something. Gaara had become very adept at sensing people so he could stop assassination attempts before they really even started. He supposed this jounin wasn't known as one of Konoha's finest for nothing.

"How are you?" Kakashi asked. Gaara just shrugged, not really one for words. The jounin smiled.

"Today I learned a new spell, one that I think you'd be interested in knowing." When he was assured he had Gaara's full attention, Kakashi pointed at the floor in front of Gaara and chanted, "_Arenous._" Gaara's eyes widened in amazement as a pile of sand appeared in front of him, just like Dumbledore had done.

When it was about a foot high Kakashi ceased the spell. "Would you like to learn it? I think it would be useful if you ever needed more." Gaara nodded and the next fifteen minutes was spent learning how to complete the spell and by the end he had produced an ample amount of sand.

"Now," Kakashi began, "I think that carrying around a gourd might stand out a little too much in this world, and using too much sand for your armor would drain you of your chakra, so I've invented a the man had in store.

A few minutes later Kakashi had successfully sewn pockets with magic on the inside of Gaara's robes, and then used a long string of wizard words on each one once they were finished. "Now all you need to do," he said, "is put as much sand into these pockets as you want. The pockets will barely grow in size, and it won't add any extra weight. The last spell I used was an _Undetectable Extension Charm_. It was a little tricky, but I think I got it down."

Gaara could only stare. Kakashi undoubtedly had to research about all three previous spells and then _practice _them! The jounin was truly amazing to be able to perform those spells on their third day there.

"Th-Thank you," he said awkwardly. That was the correct response, right? No one had ever given Gaara a present or done something like this before. He had no idea what to do in return. _Should he give him a present? A hug? What should he do?_ As he stood there, struggling to find a way to show his gratitude, Kakashi just smiled and put his hand on Gaara's head, ruffling up his a hair a little.

"I'll leave you to mold your chakra into the sand," he said, handing over the robe before going upstairs. A smile tugged at the corners of Kakashi's concealed mouth. He knew Gaara appreciated what he did for him; the kid just didn't know what to do with kindness. The fact that Gaara didn't even know how to really respond to a gift like that was heartbreaking, and Kakashi cursed the existence of demons like he did all those years ago in that fateful battle. He wished he could take them away from all the poor Jinchuuriki.

Though he acted oblivious and disinterested, Kakashi could see the pain that was in Naruto's eyes every day when he trained him, and that pain was evident in Gaara's eyes as well. The best he could do was try to make their lives a little easier and make them happy.

Gaara just couldn't believe how well the spell worked! He had just spent the last hour or so molding his chakra with the sand. He'd take a break every so often to regain the chakra he lost, then conjure up some more sand using the first spell he learned from Kakashi, and finally filled the pockets with as much sand as was in his gourd and then some. The pockets were a little bulkier, but not much, and Gaara didn't feel the weight of the sand at all, allowing him to move freely.

As he sat down again in the armchair to rest, Gaara felt more at peace. He now was fully armed with sand in case anything happened, and for some reason, his chest felt . . . _lighter_. He couldn't really explain it more than that.

Pleased with this new feeling, Gaara resumed staring into the fire, twiddling his wand as he did so and waited for morning to come.

* * *

The next day around lunchtime, the Gryffindors gathered outside near Hagrid's hut where they would _(unfortunately)_ be joined by the Slytherins. Hagrid was standing next to a bunch of wooden crates which were rattling in a rather odd way. Kakashi was on the other side of the large man, scratching Fang lazily behind the ears.

"Mornin'!" Hagrid said. "Kakashi has volunteered ter help with the lesson today. We'll be workin' with Blast-Ended Skrewts!"

"Come again?" Ron asked as horrible visions of what they could be ran through his mind. Their professor pointed at the crates and several people jumped backwards in disgust and fright after they caught a glance at them.

Naruto and Gaara were the only ones who got closer. Naruto found them to be fascinating creatures, all pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in random places, and appeared to be headless. When sparks erupted from one end of a skrewt, causing it to be propelled several inches, Naruto laughed at them.

"On'y jus' hatched," said Hagrid proudly, clearly pleased at Naruto's approval, "so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it."

"And why would we _want_ to raise them?" said a cold voice. Everyone turned around to notice Malfoy and the other Slytherins approach. Naruto was instantly reminded of Sasuke; the same look on his face like he was better than everyone else, he noted with a twinge of sorrow. Maybe he could help this boy not end up like Sasuke! He could do that.

"It'll be fun!" Naruto proclaimed enthusiastically. The first step was to become friends.

Draco looked at him with disgust, taking in all his eccentric features. "So, you're the newcomers?" he said looking at each shinobi in turn. Naruto grinned and nodded. Malfoy smirked. "Figures you'd be in Gryffindor! That's where all the _freaks _go."

All the Gryffindors narrowed their eyes and Harry and Ron slowly inched their hands closer to their wands. Naruto, however, tried again, undeterred.

"Everyone in Gryffindor is really nice! What's Slytherin like?" he asked, trying to be friendly.

"What are you, some type of mutant cat?" Malfoy chided, ignoring the attempts at kindness. "What's with those marks on your face?" He glanced at all three of them in turn. "I knew you were weird, but I didn't realize how much! Perhaps you're just a potion experiment gone wrong, because there's no way—"

"Shut up!" Naruto was fed up with trying to be his friend for the moment. Now Draco was going to pay. The shinobi dug his hand into the weapon pouch he had concealed inside his robe _(using a spell Kakashi had taught him the night before)_ and was about to throw a couple kunai at the slimeball when his arm was surrounded in sand.

He growled at Gaara, who shook his head. Pouting he replaced the weapons and instead glared at Draco, whose eyes were wide in fright as he saw Gaara perform wandless magic, not even noticing the concealed weapons.

"He's not worth it, for now," Gaara said . As he summoned his sand around Naruto's arm back, the Gryffindors watched in amazement as the sand near Malfoy's feet untied his shoelaces and tied them together, which went unnoticed by the Slytherins who were too focused on the redhead. Harry and Ron suppressed a smirk.

"Well—" Malfoy began, but then quickly regained his composure. "Well, I'll have you know that my father is a very powerful person! If you harm me, you'll regret—" At this point he attempted to walk forward but tripped over his shoelaces and fell flat on his face. The whole Gryffindor class erupted in laughter as Draco spat out dirt and rolled over onto his back.

All the Slytherins were fussing over him and helping untie his shoelaces while the Gryffindors cracked up and began slapping Gaara on his back. It was all he could do to stop the sand from reaching out to protect him. Gaara had to keep telling himself that no, he wasn't being attacked so there was no reason to kill or seriously injure the other students. That would probably not go over well with Dumbledore-sama, and Gaara rather preferred to keep his . . . _condition_ a secret.

Unable to prove who did it, Malfoy spent the rest of the lesson giving the shinobi angry glares as they fed the strange creatures lettuce. They looked to be on good terms with Potter, Malfoy noted with glee. Now there were more people to torment.

* * *

In the next Defense Against the Dark Arts, Mad-Eye announced that he would be practicing the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn so they could learn how to resist it. Hermione instantly protested, but after being told to leave if she wanted to by Moody she declined the offer.

One by one students had the Imperius curse cast upon them and none were able to fight the curse, except for Harry who half resisted, half complied, resulting in him crashing face first into the desk. Moody was delighted and proceeded to use it on him until he fought it completely, much to Harry's disappointment. When he was finished he limped over to Ron and Hermione.

"Uzumaki, you're next."

Naruto eagerly stepped towards Moody with his hands behind his head.

"_Imperio!_"

_**What now? **_Naruto thought.

_Show me some of your power . . . your strongest attack . . . everyone will respect you . . . _

**_So this is the curse? Some stupid suggestion?_**

_SHOW IT TO ME! _When Naruto did nothing a sharp jolt of pain coursed through his body and he winced. He had handled much worse though. The problem at hand though was to figure out what to do. Wait until Moody was done and realized his attempts were futile? No—he had something better in mind.

The whole class was amazed at how calm Naruto was; in fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself, while Moody appeared to be having some difficulty with the curse. The shinobi yawned dramatically, then instantly appeared behind Mad-Eye. Not as fast as Rock Lee or Kakashi, but fast enough so that the untrained wizard eyes could barely catch up.

"Is that the best you can do?" Naruto taunted as he withdrew a kunai.

Moody spun around, released the curse, and yelled, "_Expelliarmus!_" To the shinobi's surprise the weapon was yanked out of his hand and landed a couple feet away.

Everyone was silent for a moment then began whispering at the impressive performance.

"Very good, Naruto!" Moody said, surprisingly cheerful. "You and Harry so far have been the only people able to resist the Imperio curse!" He turned to Gaara. "Your turn kid."

Gaara shook his head. He already had enough experience being told what to do by Shukaku and he was doing his best to avoid situations like that from now on.

"I decline from the exercise."

Moody frowned at his for a second, then turned to Ron. "Your turn, Weasley." Ron cringed and waited for whatever Moody would do to him. "_Imperio!_"

However, at the last second, Mad-Eye flicked his wrist in Gaara's direction, sending the curse towards him. Everyone held their breath in fear and anticipation as they waited to see how Gaara held up with the curse.

His sand rose up in front of him, sensing danger. However, as soon as the beam of energy collided with his sand it was pushed out of the way and Gaara flew backwards into a pile of desks, clearly not expecting it.

Everyone gasped as the sand dropped to the floor and the shinobi lay there motionless, not even breathing.

_Give us a song,_ a sweet voice pleaded. _Just a small song . . . give us a song, we'd all like to hear one._

Gaara got up and vaguely tried to remember a song to sing, but then he caught himself. _**Why should I?**_

_Just a small song . . . give us a song . . . _

_**Actually, I really don't want to,**_ Gaara thought stubbornly. If that teacher thought he could make him do anything, then he was wrong.

**What's this? Someone trying to tell me what to do? **

_**This is MY body**_, Gaara sighed. _**How many times do I have to tell you?**_

Shukaku didn't seem to hear him. **Let me out,** he said sweetly**. Let me out and this person will never bother you again. **

Gaara just rolled his eyes. _**I'm not the weak little 12-year-old anymore. I don't have to listen to you.**_

_Sing! NOW!_ Suddenly Gaara felt like he had a large headache, as if someone was pounding on his skull to force him to sing. However, Shukaku had given him worse headaches, so he didn't register it.

The demon tried once more, but soon gave up, eager to give his container what was coming to him on the next full moon.

_SING!_

"Shut up!" Gaara shouted, forcing his sand to charge toward Mad-Eye, who quickly dropped the curse to protect himself.

"_Protego!_" Gaara's sand collided with a shield of energy and spurted off in random directions before coming back to Gaara. He put the sand back in their appropriate places.

The class was in shock as well as Moody, who still hadn't released his Shield Charm. "Very good," he said, before turning his attention to Ron and dropping the charm. "Now it's really your turn Weasley."

As Gaara calmed down he couldn't help but notice a shadow of a smirk on Mad-Eye's face, as if he were pleased with what happened. He found himself puzzled by the strange reaction. _What could it mean?_

* * *

**T****his is just the beginning of the problems between our favorite shinobi and Malfoy! In later chapters they are **_**really**_** going to have some intense fights between them.**

**I must admit I normally find it irritating when people the demons talk to their containers, but I feel like it was necessary in this situation. From what we've been told, Shukaku talks to Gaara quite a lot. It's how he was able to warp the redhead's mind and get Gaara to call him "Mother." His seal isn't as powerful as the Kyuubi's, so I feel like he occasionally does what he can to get free, though I feel that after meeting Naruto, Gaara became better able to drown out the demon.**


	5. Pranks, Visitors, and Scars

**I'd like to start off by thanking all my wonderful reviewers! They are: **Lily Yamamoto, Narutoboyluver, shadow fire, Kai, Silent-Serpent, A Fan, SupernaturalPirateGirl, A random fan, A Fan724, actionliker, SongoftheDarquePhoenix, Lupanari, Hannah Uzumaki, peppymint, grumpywinter, whiteinu1, Byakugan789 (2), Haley619, cardcaptor eternity, Dragon Alchemist, yaoifangrl4ever, Lily Uzimaki, hoyt, Invader-Nehima, Shadow Zeranion, Kai, an Impacient (SP?) Fan, YourInnerBiju, nat, **and **Hitsuka-Hatake**!**

**I've gotten a total of ****29**** reviews for that last chapter, and that is absolutely AMAZING! Seriously, I'm going to die from all the happiness! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this story and I'm putting all my effort into making it enjoyable for you all!**

Lily Yamamoto **was the 50th reviewer! She gets a special cookie.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Pranks, Visitors, and Scars

It had been a while since the shinobi's arrival and they had been formally accepted into Hogwarts. People enjoyed Naruto's kind and loud personality, as well as Gaara's contrasting aloof and silent attitude. Kakashi had also become a common sight in their Care of Magical Creatures class and was always interested in learning new spells and finding out about the wizard world. He could be found reading various books from the library after he had learned how to read English fluently without the aid of a translation spell.

Near the end of October the whole school was in a buzz about the arrival of the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang,. Everyone had theories about how they would arrive, resulting in no one participating in their lessons which ultimately led to the teachers giving up at trying to control them.

"Why are these people so important?" Naruto asked. Everyone was outside the castle awaiting the arrival of the other schools.

"They're here for the Triwizard Tournament, my friend," George said, resting on elbow on the blond's head. He and his twin had taken a special liking to the boy, mainly because he seemed to share their appreciation for pranks. Naruto's most notable prank had been on the potions master, Severus Snape.

* * *

"Don't worry, Naruto," Harry said. Naruto was still fuming about how he had been belittled and informed he was 'an overactive child who relied on making a fool of himself in an attempt to warrant attention' by their least favorite teacher. "Believe me, he does it to _everyone."_

Naruto just growled. "He can't say stuff like that about me! I'll make him regret it!"

"Really?" Fred asked, joining them at the table they were currently using to study.

"And how do you intend on doing that?" George added.

"I don't know, but I will!"

George smirked in a way the other wizards only knew meant trouble. "How about a prank then? I dare you to pull off a prank against Professor Snape in front of the whole school."

"Absolutely not!" Hermione protested, shaking a finger at him. "Don't listen to them, Naruto. There is no way you could pull a prank on Professor Snape and get away with it."

"Well, I guess if you're too chicken, I suppose you don't have to do it," Fred sighed dramatically, to which George imitated a chicken, flapping his bent arms behind him and clucked tauntingly.

Naruto grinned. "Just you watch; I'll go do it right now! I am not afraid of anything!" he said, punching his fist into the air. _"Except ghosts,"_ he added, barely above a whisper, yet Gaara heard. The redhead's lips quirked in a shadow of a smile as he remembered their first encounter with the Gryffindor ghost and returned to his homework.

"Naruto, sto—" Unfortunately for Hermione, he had already stood up and was mentally checking all the amazing pranks he had pulled in his last thirteen years. Not surprisingly, there were enough ideas to fill a few books; growing up completely by yourself could do that to you.

After a brief minute of consideration he grinned in a way oddly reminiscent of a fox and swung his legs over the bench, crouched down, and said quietly, _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_ The Weasley twins and all who had never seen the jutsu before gasped in amazement at the clone who was crouched like he was. Naruto placed a hand on the clone's head and said, _"Henge!"_ to which the clone transformed into an orange fox that wagged its tail playfully.

Everyone watched with anticipation as Naruto pet the fox and it playfully bit his hand. "Now go," he whispered.

The fox nodded and ran off, jumping from table to table, grinning at each student and allowing himself to be pet by some girls before scampering off. After a while, Snape looked up from his desk and noticed the fox running around and interrupting study hall.

He angrily stormed over to the table where the fox was currently being cooed at by a group of first-year girls, and pointed his wand at it. However, before Snape could utter a spell, the fox grinned mischievously at him before disappearing. Startled, the Potions master spun on his heels, only to discover the fox a few feet behind him, wagging its bushy tail innocently.

Utterly perplexed, Severus shook his head as if to clear it and aimed his wand again. The fox sprinted to the left, and soon the Potions Master was involved in a game of tag with the fox who was easily avoiding capture. The Great Hall rang with laughter as Snape tried to catch the fox that would get just close enough and then disappear in another location, playfully nipping at the man's feet.

Suddenly it seemed as if Snape was having trouble moving, and the fox began running around the professor so fast it became an orange blur, then the fox broke off. The Potions Master swayed slightly, his arms locked firmly at his side as if there were invisible bonds holding them there. He tried to free himself frantically as students fell off the benches, overcome with laughter.

The fox let out a loud yip and ran towards Severus. It jumped in the air a few feet in front of him and gracefully ran into his chest paws first, setting him off balance. There was a resounding **thud** as the reserved teacher fell on his rear.

If it were possible, the laughter intensified, especially when the fox took a small bow and vacated the room. After a few minutes of struggling, Professor Snape freed himself from the bonds and discovered that they were extremely thin, yet sturdy wires that could only be seen when light reflected off them.

In an effort to regain his dignity, he stood up and walked over to the table where Naruto and the rest were, and performed a quick flick of his wand. All the table's occupants' wands glowed and vibrated for a second before becoming lifeless again.

Furious, he cleared his throat. "You are dismissed," he said as malevolently as he could before exiting himself.

Once he was out of earshot, everyone turned to Hermione.

"Oi! What did he do, Hermione?" Naruto demanded.

"He was checking our wands to see who used a transformation spell against him. It's no question as to why he checked ours, but now that he has no evidence that any of us did it, Snape can't do anything except fail those he believes did it." Hermione sighed. She narrowed her eyes at Naruto. "You're lucky you can do wandless magic, or you would have been in big trouble."

The blond just grinned and placed his hands behind his head. He was soon harassed by Fred, George, Harry, Ron, and others about how amazing he was, and told that he just pulled the greatest prank ever.

Gaara just shook his head in amazement. When Naruto's transformed clone bit his palm, it was really grabbing hold of some shinobi string.

He had to admit—Naruto was, in some ways, a complete genius.

* * *

After that incident, the twins had unofficially adopted Naruto as their apprentice, teaching him their ways and learning some of his own, to which the others were slightly fearful, especially Kakashi. From what he had heard about the Weasley twins from snippets of conversation he picked up here and there from other teachers, it wouldn't end well. The villagers had better watch out when they returned.

"What's the Triwizard Tournament?" Gaara inquired with mild curiosity.

"What? You don't know what it is?" Ron said. At Gaara's expression he grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, guess not."

"_Well_, let me shed some light for you poor, misguided souls," Fred announced dramatically. "It's the most amazing event in school history! One person is chosen from each school who is considered worthy, and they compete in three tasks,"_ (he held up three fingers for emphasis),_ "where the champion with the most points is the winner of the Triwizard Cup and a thousand galleons prize!"

"Sadly," George sighed, "there's an age limit of 17, so yours truly and his partner in crime are unable to be selected."

"However, the most thrilling part of it is that people have _died_ in this tournament!" Fred added, intending to spook the shinobi. "This is the first time it's been run in over a _century_, all because of the death toll!" Instead of appearing impressed, each of the shinobi gave him a skeptical look.

"They've had it canceled for 100 years because of a _death toll?_" Gaara said with a hint of disappointment and disgust in his voice.

"That's stupid," Naruto said. All surrounding wizards turned to face the shinobi, appalled at their response.

"H-How can you say that?" Hermione said. "People dying is nothing to joke so lightly about!"

Naruto snorted. "If you ask me, this whole tournament seems stupid. An age limit of 17, and adjusting it so that you don't die? It's all rather ridiculous."

"Oh, yeah?" Seamus said. "Well, who says you have any right to say anything about it?"

"Where we come from, we have an event similar to yours, with three tasks. However, this is a test held every six months for genin to become chuunin, which is the second rank for shinobi. It is a test of bravery, will, determination, and skill," Kakashi began, lifting his gaze from a wizard book.

"And it's done in three person teams, and there is no age limit!" Naruto added excitedly. "You could die at any time during the chuunin exams if you aren't careful, and many have. But I didn't," he said proudly, puffing out his chest. "In fact, I beat the crap out of Neji in the final stage of the exam! He couldn't even move! And I would have become a chuunin, if we weren't attacked . . . " His gaze shifted over to Gaara nervously, who gave a small shrug.

"You can retake the exam until you eventually reach the level of chuunin," Gaara continued. "And yes, there are people who die. Each year about a fifth of the people who try out die."

"Well . . . there has to be an age limit!" Seamus protested, stumbling for a counterargument. "If as many people die as you say, then it's not like they let toddlers participate, right?"

"I don't know about toddlers, but whenever a genin is considered worthy enough, they are able to compete! Kakashi-sensei was just six when he completed his chuunin exam, and he passed!" Everyone's mouths dropped open and they all stared at the silver-haired jounin to confirm the fact, which he did with a lazy nod of his head.

Before anyone could say anything else on the matter, their attention was torn to the skies where a bunch of first-years were shrieking and pointing. Everyone gasped as the strange object was revealed to be a gigantic carriage pulled by flying horses, completely entranced by their beauty.

When Madame Maxime stepped out of the carriage, the three shinobi were blown away by her size; they had thought Hagrid was big! She was as large as three Jiraiyas put together!

Before they could recover from that shock, an enormous ship of the water, as large as one of the Hokage monumental heads. The Konoha shinobi had seen a fair amount of ships during their lifetime, but they had never seen one that size.

Gaara was simply baffled. Living in Suna his whole life, he had never lived near a body of water, and consequently had never seen a ship before. It was very impressive, to say the least.

A little while later, all the students eagerly took their seats in the Grand Hall, with Ron going ecstatic about Krum and going on about Quidditch, to which Naruto expressed his desire to learn how to fly on a broomstick.

"Sure, Naruto. I could teach you, if you want," Harry said. To be honest, he was itching to fly on his Firebolt. With the tournament being held this year, all Quidditch games had been canceled, much to his chagrin. The team had been talking about having practices just to keep themselves in shape for the upcoming year.

"When can we start?" Naruto started to bounce in his seat.

Harry smiled at the blond's enthusiasm. "Maybe tomorrow," he said. "If you want, I'll lend you some of my Quidditch books so you can read them."

Naruto beamed and bounced even more, causing Gaara to put a firm grip on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Naruto," he said. The boy nodded sheepishly and firmly sat down, waiting for Dumbledore to speak like everyone else.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and—most particularly—guests," he began, beaming at everyone. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable." A beautiful girl off to their right at the other table snorted.

"No one's making you stay!" Hermione whispered.

Naruto turned his attention to the girl Hermione was talking to and noticed another girl nearby who was the smallest from Beauxbatons. She sighed as if she were bored and then turned to Naruto. He flashed the girl his infamous smile which she returned and waved to him happily.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," Dumbledore continued. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

Dinner ensued with talk about veela, Bagman, Crouch, and Percy. Naruto noticed that Harry kept sneaking glances at a certain dark-haired girl who was seated next to the girl Ron was ogling over, and a sly grin appeared on his face. He knew what that look was. Once the feast was over, Dumbledore began the introductions.

" . . . Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts," he explained. "And I'm pleased to announce that Kakashi Hatake has agreed to serve as security during the three tasks in case anything goes wrong to ensure that the contestants are safe."

Many heads snapped towards the jounin who was seated besides the gamekeeper, who gave a slight nod of confirmation.

" . . . Now, I think it is time for bed. Goodnight to you all." As soon as Dumbledore ceased speaking, the Great Hall erupted in excited chatter about who would enter their name in the goblet, who would try, and what the newcomers were like.

As they approached the door, Naruto noticed the strange looking man who arrived on the ship come at the same time, fussing over one of his students. Harry stopped and let him go first, and after muttering a quick thanks, the man frowned and faced Harry. Once his gaze rested upon his forehead, the man gasped and his students did the same, some even pointing at him.

"Yeah, that's Harry Potter," Moody growled behind them, limping as he did so. For some reason his appearance made all the color fade from the man's face.

"You!" Gaara could tell the man didn't care for Moody, and to be honest, he didn't either. He had never forgiven the Professor for pulling that stunt against him in Defense Against the Dark Arts. If it wasn't so informative and intriguing, he would have quit the class like he did with Divination.

"Me," Mad-Eye said grimly. "And unless you've got anything to say to Potter, Karkaroff, you might want to move. You're blocking the doorway." Karkaroff seemed to weigh his options, then made up his mind and stormed off with his students close behind him.

Back in the common room, Naruto decided it was time to confront Harry about why he was treated differently than others.

"Uh, Harry? What did Moody mean by you being the only one to survive the killing curse?" Naruto bit his lip and glanced around the room before leaning in and whispering, "Do you have a demon inside you, too?"

Gaara found himself leaning in as well, eager to understand the meaning of his scar. Was it a mark of who he was, like Gaara's was of him?

The three wizards stared at the shinobi with bewildered looks on their faces. They had been expecting questions about Harry's past, but to think he had a demon inside of him?

"Um, no. I don't know anything about a demon, but there is a reason why I have this scar and survived that curse," Harry began. He sighed and then sat back against the couch. It was going to be a rather long story, so he might as well get comfortable. Besides, he predicted that it would be even longer than usual with Naruto interrupting all the time, which proved to be true.

"So, your mother sacrificed herself to save you?" Naruto asked Harry nodded.

"According to Dumbledore, it is her love that seemed to act as a shield against Voldemort,"_ (Ron winced)_ "and he isn't able to touch me."

Gaara frowned. _Love? Why is it always love? This love they talk about seems to be stronger than I originally thought. How can it be so powerful?_

"So, that mark is a symbol of her love for you?" Gaara wondered aloud.

Harry looked startled and touched his scar. "I . . . never really thought of it that way," he mumbled. In all honesty, he regarded it as a testament of the curse that killed his parents, an evil symbol that warranted stares and glances from anyone he met; something to be hated. Gaara's remark now made him think of the scar in a whole new light.

Gaara unconsciously touched the kanji on his forehead, fingering each stroke the sand made upon him all those years ago; that he made on himself.

"So, why do you have that tattoo?" Harry said quickly, eager to change the subject.

The redhead was silent for a minute or two before he answered. "I got it when I was six, and I made it myself, with my sand," _(some sand emerged from his robes and he played with it, causing it to circle around his left hand)_ "when I learned what my name meant." Everyone held their breath, waiting for more, but once Gaara turned to face them all, they could see that was all he was going to share with them at the moment.

Hermione was itching to learn more, but had enough experience with boys to know that when they didn't want to talk about something, they weren't going to open up no matter what you did. So, she decided to change the subject.

"Where were you guys yesterday before dinner?"

Naruto appeared thoughtful for a moment, then his face lit up. "We were training with Kakashi-sensei!"

"Training? Where?" Ron asked, having never seen them train near the grounds.

"In this forest by Hagrid's house. It's amazing! There are so many trees—and different animals, too! Of course, it's not as impressive as the Forest of Death, but—"

"Wait! You've been in the Forbidden Forest!" Ron said, his voice suddenly an octave higher.

"I guess, if that's what you call it. But anyway, there are so many—"

"You're not allowed in there, which is why it's called 'Forbidden'," Hermione said.

"Well we didn't _know_." Naruto sighed. "But why is it forbidden? It's not all that dangerous or scary."

"How far have you gone in?" Ron said, clearly distressed. "Deeper into the forest there are gigantic spiders and werewolves, and—"

"Well, I don't know what a werewolf is," Naruto said, "but I do remember seeing these HUGE spiders a few days ago! We were finding a new place to practice and these spiders came out of nowhere and attacked us. I used my shadow clones while Gaara used his sand to fight them, and once Kakashi used his Chidori on one and killed it, they all ran away." He frowned. "They left before I could use my Rasengan," he added wistfully.

The three wizards stared at them with their mouth's open in amazement and astonishment. For a moment it looked like they were about to protest, but then they gave up. These shinobi were so different it was hard to deal with at times.

"Well," Ron finally said after a long pause, "If I ever go into the Forbidden Forest again, I'll want to take you guys with me."

"You can come tomorrow!" Naruto suggested. "We practice everyday! We could even teach you some jutsu—"

"I-I think we're okay," Ron said quickly, holding his hands in front of him. "Maybe later."

Naruto pouted for a minute, then shrugged it off, instead indulging himself in a large yawn that for some reason made Harry think of Crookshanks.

"What, tired already?" Kakashi smirked, suddenly appearing besides the blond and startling the three wizards.

"Of course not, Kakashi-sen—sensei," Naruto assured sleepily. "I'm j-just . . . just . . . a little sleepy."

Kakashi rolled his eye. "Whatever. It might be a good idea for everyone to go to bed," he suggested with a tone that left no room for argument. They all complied, and as Harry fell asleep in his bed he found himself dreaming about being the Triwizard champion.

Once everyone had left, Gaara turned to the fire, ready to spend another sleepless night by himself. It was becoming harder than ever to concentrate because he felt . . . _homesick_. _(That was the correct term, right?)_ He had never gone this long without his siblings before. Of course, he usually stayed in his room or on the roof when he wasn't training, but he always knew they were nearby.

He longed for the jokes Kankuro played on their older sister, for Temari chasing him down and beating the puppet-master with her fan, and just the assurance that he had a real family. He had never really noticed it before, but now that he was spending time away from them he found himself missing them terribly.

"So how do you play this game?"

Gaara snapped his attention from the fire to the couch behind him, where the jounin was sitting, examining the wizard's chess board. Gaara just stared at him blankly, too startled to respond.

Kakashi smiled, gesturing to the chair across from him. "Would you teach me?"

Still surprised, Gaara simply nodded and made his way to the opposite chair.

"To get them to move, you call out their name and which quadrant you want them to go. The pieces are pawns, rooks, bishops, knights . . . "

And so the next three hours passed by without Gaara even noticing, getting caught up in teaching the jounin the fascinating wizard's game and playing round after round after round.

When the earliest indications of dawn were visible, Kakashi stretched and stood up. "Well, I have to help Hagrid with his classes later today, so I should get a little rest. Do you mind playing a few games once a week? This is a very practical strategic game. Maybe we should teach Naruto how to play so he gets better at tactics."

The redhead bit his lip for a second and nodded, seeming to be involved in an internal debate. Kakashi smiled and turned to go upstairs, but was stopped when Gaara ran forward and gave the man a Lee-speed hug.

When the startled jounin spun around he saw Gaara a few feet behind him, absolute embarrassment etched on his face, clearly regretting what he had done. After a brief second of consideration, Kakashi smiled and put his hand on the Jinchuuriki's head, ruffling it up the way Minato-sensei would always do to him.

"See you at breakfast, Gaara."

As the genin sat back down on the chair, a calm and relaxing feeling washed over him, erasing the feeling of loneliness he had experienced earlier. Unknown to him. a warm smile had stretched across his face.

* * *

**Malfoy is Naruto's next target. **


	6. The Triwizard Tournament

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Chapter 6: The Triwizard Tournament

The next morning at breakfast there was a large crowd gathered around the Goblet of Fire, and everyone watched as student after student entered their name.

Not before long, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan burst into the Great Hall, boasting about how they had just taken an Aging Potion and were now able to enter their names. Despite Hermione's protests, the twins stepped forward to drop their names in together. Naruto smirked and got closer, eager to see what transpired next.

There was brief pause where everyone thought it had worked, with Fred and George slapping each other's backs in victory, but then they were suddenly thrown out of the circle by some invisible explosive force, and immediately sprouted long white beards to rivals even Professor Dumbledore's.

Naruto stared at the bearded twins with awe. He stepped forward and tentatively touched the levitating circle but was thrown back as well. His beard quickly caught up to the twins' size, and they stood there, laughing at each other while the rest of the students joined in.

Hermione sighed. _Why was she not surprised?_

"I did warn you," Dumbledore chuckled as he made his way over to the three troublemakers. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything as fine as yours."

And so, Fred, George, and Naruto were accompanied by Lee Jordan as they made their way to the hospital wing, comparing each other's beards and laughing some more.

"It's nice to see Naruto has made some friends who share his affinity for pranks," Kakashi mused, coming up to join the three wizards and Gaara. "Though I suppose growing a beard wasn't part of his intentions."

Harry and Ron snorted. "I think that goes both ways," Ron said. "Other than Lee, no one else has been able to catch up with Fred and George. Seems like Naruto is their apprentice." They all spent a few more moments talking before getting up and deciding to leave now that the fun was over.

"Well, I promised to meet up with Hagrid after breakfast," Kakashi said when they left the Great Hal. He gave a lazy salute to the group of four before disappearing. By now the three wizards were accustomed to the way the jounin was fast enough to vanish before their very eyes, but a few Hufflepuff first-years weren't, and they nearly fainted from the sight of it.

"Might as well go down, too," Harry said. "We haven't paid him a visit yet."

"Okay," Ron agreed, "just as long as he doesn't ask us to donate a few fingers to the skrewts."

"I just realized—I haven't asked Hagrid to join S.P.E.W. yet!" Hermione said. "Wait for me, will you, while I nip upstairs and get the badges?"

"Does she . . . always act this _enthusiastic?_" Gaara asked as they watched her retreating form.

Ron snorted. "You bet. If she gets motivated about something, you can be rest assured that she won't stop until she has done everything humanely possible, and then some. By the way, I'd watch out if I were you," he added in a more serious tone.

Gaara blinked and gave Ron a confused stare. "Why?"

"From what I've seen, she seems to think that you and your mates are some sort of psy—ki—atric—"

"Psychiatric," Harry corrected him with a taunting smirk. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Fine, _psychiatric_ nutcases, and she's more than likely going to do something about it."

"Why would she do something about it?" Gaara still didn't understand what Ron was getting at. Sure, he was a mentally unstable murderer before, but he was doing better now. Naruto was loud and obnoxious but very kind, while Kakashi was mysterious and slightly threatening especially with his reputation, but from what he had seen, as every bit as kind and comforting as a real father would be.

"Well," Ron said, scratching the back of his neck, wondering how to put it. "You see, in our world, even the Muggle world, kids your age and younger don't usually go on missions to kill people or know how to handle weapons like you do."

"She thinks that you have been robbed of your childhood or normal development or something," Harry added.

The redhead gave a noise dangerously close to a snort and nodded slowly. "Well, she's got that right. Most shinobi don't have what you'd call a normal upbringing." _Especially Naruto and me._ "But we're doing fine," he said. "What could she want to change?"

Harry and Ron exchanged looks, seeing that Gaara didn't have a clue about how strange and different the three were. "Just—make sure to watch yourself around her, okay?"

Gaara shrugged and as soon as Hermione joined them they made their way to Hagrid's hut.

"'Bout time!" said Hagrid, when he'd flung open the door. "Thought you lot'd forgotten where I live!"

"We've been really busy, Hag—" Hermione started to say, but then stopped dead when she took in Hagrid's appearance.

Standing in the doorway was Hagrid, but he was wearing a very hairy, brown suit, with a checked yellow-and-orange tie, but the worst was his hair. Apparently, he had tried to tame his hair with what suspiciously appeared to be axle grease, slicked into two bunches in the back. Kakashi could be seen in the corner by Fang, trying to conceal his mirth at the four students' shocked faces.

"So, uh, getting ready for the feast, Hagrid?" Hermione managed to force out when she found her voice.

The half-giant beamed. "So yeh noticed? What do yeh think?"

"Really nice," the three wizards blurted out quickly. Gaara just gave a slight nod of feigned approval.

"Well come on in, come on in," he ordered happily, shooing them in through the doorway. "Where's Naruto?" he asked once Gaara stepped into the house.

"He joined Fred and George in trying to confuse the Age line and wound up getting a beard. He's in the hospital wing right now," Hermione explained with an indignant tone in her voice.

Hagrid threw his head back and laughed. "Really? Figures. Can' trick ol' Dumbledore now can they?"

Once they all sat down, the four wizards began to immediately discuss what they thought would happen in the Tournament. Gaara sat aloof, mentally shaking his head at the pathetic ideas the wizards came up with. Seriously, how could meeting up with a person who was half-man, half-wolf be scary? Half-man, half-demon would be more frightening. Maybe he and Naruto should enter the tournament as an obstacle. Just imagine the terrified looks on their faces_, _he thought with an uncharacteristic, sadistic glee. Perhaps Shukaku's influence wasn't completely eradicated as Gaara thought.

He quickly squashed the idea and shook his head as if to dislodge the image from his memory. Kakashi glanced over to him in concern.

"_What is it, Gaara?_" he asked in Japanese.

"_It's . . . nothing," _Gaara said as he schooled his expression back into one of neutrality. This wasn't acceptable! With the lack of missions and fighting lately Gaara could feel himself growing restless. He was no longer controlled by Shukaku's bloodthirsty urges, but it seemed like the peaceful, sedentary lifestyle was starting to have an affect on him.

"_Okay,_" Kakashi said, but he didn't look entirely convinced. Turning back to the conversation, the two shinobi noticed the wizards were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice the two foreigners had spoken in their native tongue. The jounin wondered briefly if it was even necessary.

". . . but Kakashi knows," Hagrid taunted, bringing the shinobi's attention to the discussion. "We're makin' plans on when ter meet the _participants_ in the firs' task," he said with a wink, as if he and the copy ninja were sharing a very important secret.

This only made the wizards turn to Kakashi and bombard him with questions, but he shook his head and looked at Hagrid, who was evidently enjoying this as much as he was. Kakashi smirked. Kids were so easy _(and fun) _to mess with.

Once the interrogation calmed down, everyone "ate" lunch at Hagrid's, if you call mixing the food around and bringing microscopic pieces to your mouth eating. Then Hermione tried to entice Kakashi and Hagrid to join S.P.E.W., both of whom who flat out refused. Slightly dejected, Hermione and the rest of the group headed up to the castle at dinner time, eager for the feast—and the announcement of the school champions—to start.

* * *

Everyone met up with Naruto, Fred, and George upon entering the Great Hall. Naruto was yelling and waving his arms around, pointing to the seats beside him, saying, "We saved some seats for you!" which Kakashi quickly put an end to by suddenly appearing at his side and covering his mouth, much to everyone's relief. Hagrid had abandoned them outside his hut, choosing instead to walk Madame Maxime to the feast, leaving them all alone to try and contain their laughter at the sight of them.

The Halloween feast was only somewhat enjoyed by the wizards, mainly because they were too anxious to find out who the champions would be, but the shinobi who couldn't really care less about the childish tournament fully enjoyed the exquisite meal, wanting to try all the new foods.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," Dumbledore began. "I estimate that it requires one more minute." Then he went on to explain what the champions were to do when their name was called. When he was finished, the Great Hall was completely silent, many not daring to breathe.

Suddenly the flames inside the goblet turned red, and a charred piece of parchment burst forth, only to be caught delicately by the aged professor, who proudly announced, "The champion for Durmstrang . . . will be Viktor Krum!"

Everyone erupted in cheers, and the two shinobi noticed that the boy who stood up was the one that older man had been fussing over the other day. He certainly looked like a champion. He could even pass for a shinobi by build alone.

Then Fleur Delacour was called for Beauxbatons _(Ron ogled after her as she went up, as well as some other boys, but Gaara was at a total loss as to why), _and Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts. The three shinobi winced in pain at the roar and pandemonium that ensued once Cedric's name was called, covering their sensitive ears in an effort to dull the noise.

Once it ceased, Dumbledore said, "Excellent! Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real—" The three shinobi sensed the power of the goblet before it even turned red, and knew that this could not be good.

The same silence that had occurred before the naming of the champions had begun was back, only this time it was so strained that everyone felt uneasy, and even Naruto didn't have trouble keeping still. He may be a knuckle-headed ninja, but he had a very nagging feeling that this was the start of something very dangerous. It was as if needles were pricking his very skin and his senses suddenly went on high alert, as if they could locate the danger better if they tried.

"_Harry Potter_."

* * *

The air was so thick with confusion, anger, and hatred that the three shinobi could almost taste it; felt as if they would drown in it. Kakashi's ears perked at the slight sense of real killer intent, but with all these other emotions swimming around and clouding his senses, he couldn't pinpoint who it was coming from.

Harry was completely frozen, unable to comprehend that it was his name that Dumbledore had read off. Everyone was staring at him, even Hermione and Ron.

"I didn't put my name in," Harry said. "You know I didn't." But neither of them looked like they believed him, they just stared back at him blankly.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!" It sounded as if he were caught between feeling furious or afraid.

When Harry still didn't move, Hermione gave him a slight push, and suddenly Kakashi was at his side. Startled, Harry glanced up at the jounin who had a firm grip on his shoulder. It looked as if the jounin was distracted, maybe sick even.

"I—I," Harry stammered. Kakashi turned to him, looking as if he was doing everything in his power to stand upright.

"Come on," he whispered gruffly, pulling him to his feet. "It's best that we get you out of here." Nodding slightly, Harry allowed himself to be half-dragged to the door the other champions had entered through.

Once inside and out of sight, Kakashi's grip loosened and once they came to a fireplace in a room lined with pictures of witches and wizards, he let go of Harry and leaned against it, his breathing a little heavier than normal.

Curious as to the man's strange behavior, Harry croaked, "What's wrong?"

The jounin lifted one lazy eye in his direction and gave a weak smile. "We shinobi, are . . . trained in the ability to sense emotions. It usually doesn't overwhelm us, but in cases where there are a large group of people experiencing similar, strong emotions, it proves very difficult to concentrate. Because of our lifestyle it's very rare to be in such a large group like in the Great Hall, _especially _with so many emotionally driven children," he said, but as he talked Harry noticed he was slowly getting his strength back.

"This was the only way for me to politely leave before becoming too overwhelmed," he said with a full smile, pushing himself off the edge of the fireplace and walking towards him.

"So, do you think . . . I—"

Kakashi shook his head. "No. The only emotions I'm sensing from you are confusion and more confusion. While it's true that some can mask their emotions so well the even the most accomplished of jounin can't sense their feelings, I highly doubt a young wizard like yourself would be capable of doing that."

He put a comforting hand on Harry's shoulders. "If you really put your name in there it would have been a feat for you _not_ to grow a beard, and you would be feeling pretty smug right about now."

While Harry was in the process of whether or not to take Kakashi's statement as an insult or a compliment, the room was suddenly flooded with the other three champions, the headmasters, the overseers of the tournament, and some teachers, which, regrettably, included Snape. Kakashi quickly took his hand off Harry's shoulders and took a few steps backwards.

The Boy Who Lived calmly waited as Bagman explained the situation to everyone, while emotions ran from shocked and confused to anger and incredulity in varying degrees.

"Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, surprisingly calm despite the situation. Harry was rather grateful for that..

"No," Harry said, willing everyone to believe him, which sadly, only consisted about five of them.

"Did you ask an older student to put it into the Goblet of Fire for you?" the Professor asked again, ignoring the silent snort from Snape.

"_No_," Harry said vehemently.

This only resulted in another uproar of people calling him a liar and demanding a recount, which ended once Mr. Crouch announced that according to the rules that there were now four champions.

Towards the end of the argument, Mad-Eye Moody made his appearance.

"Maybe someone's hoping Potter is going to die for it," Moody growled. Harry froze at the implication. Did someone put his name in the goblet to make him _die?_ Well, he could think of a hundred people, but somehow one person's name kept floating to the top a _little_ bit more than the others.

"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought, _Mad-Eye_," Karkaroff said coldly.

"There are those who'll turn innocent occasions to their advantage," Moody retorted just as harshly. "It's my job to think the way Dark wizards do, Karkaroff—as you ought to remember . . . "

"Alastor!" Dumbledore warned. However, Harry didn't have long to dwell on the accusation Moody's statement implied. He had other matters to think about.

"How this situation arose, we do not know," the headmaster continued, addressing everyone in the room. "It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Harry have been chosen to compete in the Tournament." Once that was clear, Dumbledore turned the time over to Mr. Crouch to explain the first task.

After that was finished, Harry was left to follow the others out of the room. While passing Kakashi, the jounin whispered, "Once you leave, get out of sight. Hide yourself and I'll be right after you. I will accompany you to the common room." Puzzled by the statement, Harry nonetheless obeyed, saying good-bye to Cedric once they were out of earshot of the room, and hide himself in a dark corner, feeling slightly foolish.

"How can this be happening?" Professor McGonagall asked to no one in particular. The only ones left in the room were herself, Snape, Moody, Dumbledore, and Kakashi.

"I do not know Minerva," the headmaster sighed, rubbing his temples wearily. "What do you think, Kakashi?" The jounin stepped forward and held out his hand for the charred parchment that contained Harry's name. Once it was placed in his hand, he held it up to his face and sniffed slightly.

After a few minutes pause, he shook his head. "Potter didn't write this, it's not his scent."

"And what makes you think you can _smell_ his scent?" Snape spat. The jounin turned to him patiently, locking eyes with the Potion's master.

"Most of the people from where I come from have sensing capabilities far beyond that of an average human," he explained calmly. "My sense of smell is only rivaled by the Inuzuka clan, and I can assuredly say without a doubt, that this is not Harry Potter's scent."

"Do you know whose it is then?" McGonagall asked, not entirely sure if she believed it herself, but she had seen enough strange things from these foreigners that she couldn't doubt him.

Kakashi sighed. "I cannot say. It is a smell that I haven't encountered yet at this school. Even then this scent is very faint, which could mean one of two things, either the one who wrote this did it a long time ago which would leave a small trace of the original scent, or it was done by a person capable of hiding their scent. With the latter, I hardly doubt it, because the only one's capable of doing so are very skilled shinobi where I came from, and the chance that there are others like me here is almost nonexistent.

"However, the chance that this was done such a long time ago that there was only a trace of the original scent left behind is also highly improbable, seeing as how someone had to have just recently entered this parchment into the goblet, and there would be a stronger scent. Clearly, the reason behind it has to be with something I have never encountered before, which, considering this is a brand new world for me, highly probable."

McGonagall and Snape simply stared at the jounin, clearly taken back by the wisdom and sheer genius behind his argument, which he undoubtedly came up with in the past few seconds. Snape was infuriated by being outsmarted by a man who was still a child, in his mind anyway.

Dumbledore, however, looked impressed at the conclusion. "Very good, very good," he mused. "Could I ask that you stay on the lookout for this scent? If you ever come across it, be sure to inform me."

The copy ninja nodded, pocketing the slip of parchment into one of his pockets. "If I ever encounter it, I will be sure to incapacitate the individual and bring him to you immediately." The ease at which he spoke of capturing the culprit behind the strange occurrence set the Potions and Transfiguration teachers on edge.

"Do you agree, Alastor?" The DADA teacher appeared slightly startled at finally being addressed in the conversation, but he quickly recovered and gruffly nodded.

"Don't see any problems with that," he agreed. "Just better keep an eye out for Potter."

"Naturally," Dumbledore said with a smile. Turning to Kakashi he turned serious. "Since you seem to have—experience in these matters, would it be too much to ask for your help again? Only this time keep an eye out for Harry, making sure he doesn't get into too much trouble? I daresay he's become somewhat of an attraction for these things." The jounin nodded.

"It would be my pleasure," he said with a small bow. "Just think of it as a way for me to show my appreciation for your hospitality." Seeing as how their discussion was over, Snape, McGonagall, and Moody turned to leave.

"Oh, and Dumbledore-sama," Kakashi whispered as he passed the headmaster. "I have reason to believe that what Professor Moody said was correct. I also have the ability to detect emotions—albeit faintly—and there was definite killer intent in the Great Hall when Harry's name was called. I was unable to pinpoint the location with all the other emotions, but I have reason to believe the one behind entering Harry's name and the one with the killer intent are one and the same."

"Ah, I see," Dumbledore whispered softly. "Then it's true."

"I will also be on the lookout for the one behind that emotion," Kakashi assured him, before saying good-bye. If either of the two hadn't been so focused on their conversation, they might have noticed that a certain man's shoulders tensed at what Kakashi had unveiled and slightly panicked before realizing that he would have to be _very_ careful with his proceedings in the future. _But_, he noted with slight glee, _Lord Voldemort might find this new information _very useful.

The older foreigner needed to be taken care of though.

* * *

Harry was about to give into the thought that Kakashi had abandoned him when the jounin appeared in front of him and nudged his head in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.

"So, what's going on?" Harry asked, trying to appear casual as he fell in sync with the jounin.

"It seems as if there may truly be a more sinister reason behind your name being put in the goblet."

"Let me guess," the boy asked sarcastically, "Dumbledore asked you to protect me?" Kakashi was slightly taken aback by Harry's promptness on the issue, then smirked.

"I take it you have experience in these matters?"

The young wizard snorted. "Since I was born. I seem to be a homing beacon for trouble."

Seeing how there was more depth and meaning to what Harry said, Kakashi asked, "Since I don't need to hide the fact that I am keeping watch over you, would it be too personal to ask why you seem to be a very special wizard in this world?"

"Why not? Everyone else knows the story, and I'd rather you knew the true version rather than one others might tell you." And so, their journey to the common room consisted of a very watered down version of his dealings with Voldemort.

When the Fat Lady opened the door, Harry and Kakashi were almost blown backwards by the noise. Inside was the whole Gryffindor House, full of students cheering and trying to shake his hand, give him sweets, or talk to him.

"You should've told us you'd entered!"

"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!"

"Oh if it couldn't be me, at least it's a Gryffindor—"

"We've got food, Harry, come and have some—"

Harry turned desperately to Kakashi and pleaded with his eyes for the jounin to help him escape this. The silver-haired ninja chuckled softly, placed a firm hand on Harry's shoulder and held up the other in a hand seal, then disappeared in his signature white puff of smoke. There was silence for a moment, then everyone started cheering.

"Did you see that?"

"I thought you couldn't Apparate on school grounds?"

"No you idiot, didn't you see that smoke? There isn't any smoke when you Apparate—"

"I wanna learn how to do that!"

Once they arrived on the top of the boys' dormitory stairs, Harry was in a slight daze from being transported, then shook his head and scanned their surroundings before breathing, "Ho-How did you _do_ that?"

"Just one of my jutsu."

"Do you think you could teach me that sometime?" he asked hopefully. Goodness knows how many times something like that could come in handy for the young wizard.

Kakashi chuckled. "Maybe. However, I think it's time to go to bed. You've had a rough night."

"That's an understatement," Harry muttered under his breath before obeying the command. Sadly, what he would find in his dormitory did little to lift his spirits, instead proving to be the beginning of a very, very _long_ nightmare.

* * *

**Coming soon, Malfoy's in trouble!  
**

**So, I know a lot of you were wanting Naruto and Gaara to be in the tournament . . . I just don't think it's a good idea. All the other crossovers I've seen with this book have the shinobi participate in the tournament and I just can't really see any logical reason why they'd just be able to join.  
**

**There are going to be some interesting turns coming up here, and I just ask that you believe me and keep reading, even if you really wanted them to participate. Don't worry, they will be so involved with the tournament that it will be almost like they **_are_ **champions. Remember, Kakashi is in charge of security, who else would he employ to help him? And what will happen when security is breached in the third task . . . . **


	7. Fight in the Dungeons

**Hello! First off, my lovely reviewers: **SupernaturalPirateGirl, Lily Yamamoto, Tainted-reflection-126, Shadowed Mist, Lupanari, Masashi5920, Shadow Zeranion, Golden feathers Edward, peppymint, Uzumaki Naruko14, r2d2cool, whiteinu1, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, Hailey619, Ero-kun, Queen Haydee River, Not a member, ReaperofDarkness, yaoifangrl4ever, Blue Bragon, Lily Uzimaki, ZaBuchar, Dragon Alchemist, Oblivion's Rein, Eternal Thief, Aurora, the Blade Alchemist, Silent-Serpent, Shiva-iceflame, yllom21, YYonder, Aurora, the Blade Alchemist, **and** 247wannabeninja246.

**Please enjoy!**

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Chapter 7: Fight in the Dungeons

The next morning Naruto and Gaara knew something was wrong when they came to breakfast and only Ron was there, furiously stabbing his sausages as if he was trying to kill it. They exchanged a glance before sitting down and grabbing their food.

"Hey, where's Harry and Hermione?" Naruto asked, cheerful as always despite the fact that it was early in the morning.

Ron grumbled something about Hermione having already left and he didn't care where _the bloody hell that traitor was_.

Realizing that something bad had occurred between the two, Naruto smiled and stuffed the rest of his breakfast in his mouth, drained a full goblet of pumpkin juice to wash it down, then proudly proclaimed, "Harry promised to teach me how to ride a broom! I'll go find him!" before dashing off.

Ron just groaned then looked at Gaara out of the corner of his eyes. He hesitated, then asked shakily, "Can you believe that git?"

Gaara finished drinking and turned towards the redhead and lifted an invisible eyebrow. "What?" He knew all too well who Ron was talking about, but from his experience with Temari and Kankurou, Ron wanted to talk about it. The concept was simple—once his siblings knew that he wasn't going to kill them in their sleep, they would occasionally join him on their roof and talk about how the other one drove them mad or how a particular mission had affected them.

The Jinchuuriki surmised that it was due to the fact that he hardly spoke and didn't express his opinion that much that he was an easy person to talk to; a sort of outlet for people to unleash their feelings. And It looked like Ron was itching to let out some harbored feelings towards Harry.

"Harry! He keeps telling me that he didn't but his name in the goblet, but we all _know_ that it was all for the glory! Seriously, he just gets one taste of it, and suddenly he wants all the limelight." He paused and took a bite of his mashed food, where Gaara simply nodded. "And then," Ron continued, still chewing his food, "he couldn' eben tell me, hif beth mate when he dib it . . . "

* * *

"HARRY!" Naruto yelled, searching the grounds. The blond sighed. He _really_ wanted to find him quick, because he couldn't wait to learn how to fly! Just then he spotted a boy with jet-black hair walking with a girl with curly brown hair. He immediately sprinted in their direction, only stopping when he was in front of them.

"Oi! Harry!" Said boy had a piece of toast halfway in his mouth, and was clearly taken by surprise with Naruto's sudden appearance.

"Ah." He swallowed his food. "What do you want, Naruto?"

"I was wondering when you could teach me how to ride a broom!" he said. Harry smiled in spite of himself.

"Where's Gaara, does he want to learn?" Naruto shook his head.

"Nah, he uses his sand to fly, and I don't think he'd want to sit on a broom. He's still eating breakfast with Ron." Naruto took careful note of how Harry's eyes darkened when his friend's name was mentioned. _Definitely fighting_, Naruto thought. He had been in enough fights with Sasuke and seen enough angry Sakuras to know when friends were having a particularly bitter argument.

"How about after dinner? Meet me in the courtyard and I'll bring my Firebolt and another broom."

"Awesome!" Naruto cried, punching his fist in the air. "Wait until I tell Kakashi-sensei! He's probably still sleeping, the lazy idiot," he said quietly to himself before disappearing again, leaving a pair of chuckling wizards in his wake.

Harry smiled. Perhaps spending time with Naruto doing the one thing he enjoyed most would help relieve some of the tension that was building up with his fight with Ron. Later on that day, he realized that it would also be a nice break from all the glares and whisperings of his fellow peers.

* * *

As he walked down to the courtyard after dinner _(where he had made sure to ignore Ron) _Harry smirked as he saw Naruto waiting for him. He was laying on the ground and staring up at the sky, where the tiniest indication of sunset had started to appear.

"Shikamaru's right. There is something calming about watching the clouds," Naruto said as Harry got closer. The wizard froze for a moment, then relaxed when he remembered that Naruto was probably able to sense him a while ago.

"I wonder if he's watching them right now," Naruto continued wistfully, "or if he's on a mission with Chouji and Ino." He sighed while continuing to watch the clouds. "Sakura saw us disappearing, and I wonder what she's doing right now; what Tsunade-baachan is doing to try and get us back."

Harry squirmed a little, uncomfortable with Naruto's sorrow. He hadn't really considered how strange everything must feel for the shinobi—being suddenly taken from everything they knew and loved and whisked away to a brand new place where nothing was familiar and they were where people spoke another _language_ for Merlin's sake! It had to be troubling, no matter how safe they were here.

"How about we start now?" he said, eager to make Naruto happy. For some reason, it was the most depressing thing not to see the blond with a smile.

Naruto beamed then jumped up and sprinted over to Harry, eying the Cleansweep 7. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Harry appeared to relax at his smile, and inwardly smirked.

_Mission accomplished_, he thought to himself.

He had purposefully acted homesick, just to get Harry out of his brooding mood. People always seemed to forget about their troubles when a friend was feeling down, and would then try their best to appease them. Naruto had learned that trick from Konohamaru and his buddies when they came to cheer him up whenever he was feeling sad. They were pretty smart for their age.

"So, what's the first thing you do?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I guess first you'll learn how to call the broom." Harry set the brooms in front of them. "Place your right hand over the broom, and say, Up!" On his command, the Firebolt rose up to meet him and he clasped it firmly in his hand.

"What, you can't bend down and pick it up yourself?" Naruto wondered aloud. Really, did these wizards rely on their magic so much that they couldn't do something as simple as _that?_

"You can, but this is how we learned how to do it. I'll admit it's all rather pointless, at least I think so, but this is how Madame Hooch teaches it." Harry shrugged. "Just make sure you say it with feeling, treating the broom as if it is more than an object," he added.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the odd comment. Oh well. Whatever. Harry was the sensei. He held out his right hand and said with as much feeling as he could muster, "UP!"

On command, the broom flew up off the ground and collided with his hand with such force that Naruto yelped and shook his throbbing hand. Harry laughed in spite of himself and after a small glare at the broom, Naruto found himself laughing as well.

The next half hour was spent with Naruto learning how to properly mount a broom and he practiced some basic flying exercises. Harry had to admit Naruto was pretty good for just a beginner, but he still had a ways to go if he was ever going to play with him and the team for fun.

"I think that's enough for today," Harry called, signaling that they should dismount. Naruto did so grudgingly, and sort of skidded on the ground, almost falling over in the process.

"This is where they're stored, so you can practice whenever you like," Harry said. It was dusk now, and they needed to get back to the dormitory before Filch got on their case.

That night, Harry went up to the Owlery via his invisible cloak to write a letter to Sirius, and when he started going back, he noticed something in the distance. Curious as to what it was, he ran to the other side of the roof to get a better view, and noticed with amazement that it was Naruto on a broom.

_He's practicing?_ Harry wondered as he watched the foreigner work on his form. The blond would race around smoothly for a minute or so, then suddenly he'd get all wobbly and fall a little, only to catch himself and try again.

Harry had to smile at his persistence and enthusiasm. Naruto was really dedicated. He watched in fascination as he repeatedly practiced again and again, improving slightly with each try.

When the Hogwarts clock tolled ten, Harry was snapped out of his trance and decided to go to bed.

Taking one last look at Naruto, he smiled warmly and whispered, "Make sure to get some sleep."

Needless to say, the next few days were not the most enjoyable for Harry. The Hufflepuffs, Slytherins, and even the Ravenclaws all gave him dirty looks. Harry was used to it, sadly, but he usually had Ron by his side to distract him.

Strangely enough, he didn't feel as lonely as he thought he would. Naruto seemed to have taken the place of Ron. Whenever Harry would mess up in a class because he was having trouble concentrating, Naruto would do something to make the whole class laugh, and lighten the mood to distract people from Harry. He also looked forward to his little flying lessons with Naruto, and even enjoyed watching him practice at night for as long as he could sacrifice. The bond's night-time practices were paying off though. Naruto's skill was exponentially improving; Harry believed it was time to have him practice with the rest of the Gryffindor team.

* * *

"Double Potions with Slytherin," Harry groaned to no one in particular as he, Naruto, and Hermione walked down to the dreary dungeons one morning. Potions was always the worst class, especially now, and he had a nagging feeling that today Malfoy and the other Slytherins had something up their sleeves in relation to his position as the fourth champion.

Sure enough, standing just outside the classroom door was Malfoy and his group, and they were wearing large badges that for an instant appeared to be S.P.E.W. badges, but Harry knew that could never happen in a million years. No—on closer inspection it turned out that they said, in luminous red letters:

Support CEDRIC DIGGORY—

The REAL Hogwarts Champion!

"Like them, Potter?" Malfoy bellowed as Harry approached. "And this isn't all they do—look!" With a devilish grin, he pressed the badge firmly and that sign disappeared, only to be replaced by another that glowed green:

POTTER STINKS

At Harry's scowl all the Slytherins burst into laughter, with each of them pressing their badges to let the second message shine throughout the hall.

"Oh _very_ funny," Hermione said sarcastically, "really _witty_." Harry noticed Ron was standing against the wall with Dean, Seamus, and Gaara. He wasn't laughing, but he wasn't sticking up for Harry either.

"Want one, Granger?" Malfoy taunted, dangling a badge in front of Hermione's nose. "I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up."

All of Harry's harbored anger boiled over and he reached for his wand so fast that even Naruto and Gaara were impressed. People in the corridor began to back away slowly, not wishing to be caught in the crossfire.

"Harry!" Hermione warned.

"Go on, then, Potter," Malfoy said quietly, drawing his own wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now—do it, if you've got the guts—"

Harry was in the process of uttering a curse, when he felt someone's hand rest lightly but firmly on his shoulder. He turned around startled, afraid it was Snape, but it was Gaara, and he stared at Malfoy with an unsettling calmness in his eyes which could only mean trouble.

Gaara stepped in front of Harry and got closer to Malfoy, whose wand was trembling slightly in his hand.

"I don't like your badges," he said coolly, and stretched forth his right hand. Suddenly, sand shot out from Gaara's robes and it ripped off the badges from all the Slytherins who wore one, tearing their clothes slightly in the process.

Bringing the clumped mixture of badges and sand in front of Malfoy's face, Gaara smirked slightly while he completely covered them in sand until it was a spherical ball, and said, "_Sabaku SouShu!_"

Malfoy shrieked in surprise as the levitating sphere of sand collapsed inward with a small explosion, faint red and green smoke steaming out from it.

"Here's your badges," Gaara mocked, opening his hand and letting the various debris fall to the floor in front of Malfoy, who stared at the minuscule pieces fearfully.

As people in the hall began whispering to each other in excitement, Gaara turned to a gaping Harry. "Everything all right, Har—"

"_Densaugeo!_" Malfoy screamed. A jet of light whizzed past Harry, but Gaara was gone.

"Nice try," a voice taunted from above. Everyone's necks craned up to see Gaara hanging upside down from the ceiling as if he was sticking to it, arms folded.

Before anyone had time to be impressed with the fact that he was _standing_ on the ceiling, a cry from Ron caught their attention.

"Hermione!" Ron was at her side, dragging Hermione's hand away from her mouth. Naruto gasped as he witnessed her front teeth growing at an alarming rate, making her appearance resemble a human beaver. He turned to Malfoy and growled.

"Naruto?" The genin looked up at Gaara, who gave him a slight nod in Malfoy's direction.

Grinning in a rather frightening way, Naruto cracked his knuckles and inched towards Malfoy, who turned to him in terror.

"That's not very nice," Naruto said. Terror clouding his senses, Malfoy yelled, "_Furnunculus_!" This time everyone was expecting it so they ducked as the spell slashed through the air where Naruto had been a mere second before, except for poor Goyle, who had starting running away when Naruto turned to Malfoy. He howled as he fell, covering his face.

"You're pathetic," Naruto whispered behind Malfoy. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" The audience gasped as three other Narutos appeared in a puff of smoke.

"All right! Let's go!" Suddenly all four Narutos began running in a circle around Malfoy, although it was the strangest running any of the wizards had ever seen. They leaned forward, and let their arms flap behind them, as if getting ready to jump.

The Narutos ran steadily faster, until they were nothing but a blur. After a minute or so of this, one Naruto withdrew from the formation, and slid into the boy's legs, feet first from behind.

"_U—_" Another clone separated, this time in front of Malfoy, delivering an upward thrust into his stomach.

"—_zu—_" The third clone delivered a spinning kick to his chest, barreling him into the wall.

"—_maki—_" The real Naruto jumped in the air, reached into his weapon pouch he kept concealed underneath his robe, and spun as he threw shuriken at Malfoy.

"_Naruto rendan!_" All the other clones disappeared as Naruto landed on the floor, perfectly balanced, with one hand steadying himself on the ground and the other still in the air. As the dust cleared, Naruto calmly stood up, brushed his hands, and examined his handiwork.

_Not bad_, he congratulated himself. Malfoy was pined to the wall by shuriken (_which, to some of the onlooker's chagrin , did not harm him in any way)_ so that his feet didn't touch the ground. He was panting and coughing, gasping for breath.

It wasn't Naruto's usual jutsu, but if he completed it and used another clone, then that weak wizard would have been forced to spend some time in a hospital for a couple broken bones. It would be hard explaining that one to Kakashi-sensei and Dumbledore-sama.

Gaara jumped down beside him and gave Malfoy a thoughtful look, then a satisfied nod to Naruto.

It was Pansy Parkinson who found her voice first. "We're telling!" Gaara frowned, and then cautiously made his way over to Draco.

"Do you know," he began in whisper, so that only Malfoy would hear, "how deadly a single grain of sand is," _(at this he held up his hand where a miniscule piece of sand floated just above it),_ "when it is red hot," _(it transformed from a pale brown to a fiery red),_ "and traveling through your flesh at 160 kilometers per hour, especially when aimed at your heart?" Malfoy's eyes widened and furiously began shaking his head.

"No? Then don't tell what happened here, or else you'll find out."

Gaara almost felt pity for the slimy blond; he looked so pathetically frightened.

"Take them down," Gaara said as he turned around and faced Naruto.

Naruto sighed, then yanked the air as the shuriken dislodged themselves from the wall and flew towards him. If it weren't for the small reflection of light off the string that was attached to the shuriken, the wizards would have assumed he had used a summoning spell.

As Naruto pocketed the weapons, Malfoy pushed himself off the ground, shaking as he did so. Soon all the Slytherins were at his side.

"Are you all right?"

"They're dead for sure."

"Wait 'til Snape here's about _this_—"

"NO!" They all stared at Malfoy. "N-No, Snape doesn't need to know. It was ju-just a . . . misunderstanding." As his friends started to protest, he glared at them in an expression of how serious he was.

Everyone's attention was then directed to Goyle, whose face now resembled a new species of fungi. As they stood there, silent except for the quiet whimpering of Hermione and Goyle, a soft, deadly voice rang out,

"And what is all this noise about?" Their potions master had arrived, his penetrating glare taking in everything he saw. When it was apparent no one wanted to speak, he pointed a finger at Malfoy. "Explain."

He gulped. "U-Um, well, Potter was about to hex me, so I defended myself, but got Hermione, and another got Goyle . . . and uh . . . "

Snape examined the two fallen wizards, telling Goyle to report the hospital wing. After a long, calculating stare at Hermione, he said coldly, "I see no difference."

The young girl burst into tears and ran out of the corridor and out of the dungeon.

Harry, Ron, and Naruto all began shouting at once, with Naruto in Japanese. Snape couldn't tell what they were saying, but he understood the meaning.

"Let's see, 50 points each from Gryffindor, and you three have detention." He paused for a moment, then added, "Goes for you, too," pointing at Gaara, who was giving his best impersonation of an innocent child, yet it obviously didn't go over so well. _(He didn't really have much experience in the matter)_

The Professor had no idea what happened to Malfoy, but by the fact that he wasn't willing to say it to him meant that the newcomers had something to do with it. Maybe he could find out later.

The rest of the class passed by without anything else exciting, except for Harry being summoned for the weighing of the wands. All of Harry's hopes of possibly coming on better terms with Ron disappeared when Colin mentioned photographs. He silently cursed the little boy as he left, leaving the two shinobi to deal with a pissed off redhead.

Sadly, his break from potions didn't necessarily lighten his mood, because Rita was there, waiting for him.

As Malfoy left Potions that day and watched the two shinobi happily talk to each other _(well, one seemed happy),_ he vowed he would get them back. No one messed with him and got away with it.

* * *

**Heehee. Malfoy got what was coming to him! But I still like the guy. What will he do in return though? **


	8. Bitter Rivalries & Taijutsu?

**My lovely reviewers: **grumpywinter, r2d2cool, Not a Member, Lupanari, Tainted-reflection-126, Queen Haydee River, Shadow Zeranion, actionliker, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, spycon fighter, SongoftheDarquePhoenix, Bowchickabowwow, Ryuuko-chan, Masashi5920, Kammari, Hailey619, Naruto Fan, whiteinu1, shogi, yllom21, SupernaturalPirateGirl, Invader-Nehima, Maito Yared Fundoshi, Lily Yamamoto, Uzumaki Hannah, Relincta, SakuraHakubai, Byakugan789, cardcaptor eternity, ZaBuchar, Mew Sarin Alchemist, yaoifangrl4ever, Silent-Serpent, crimsonmoon08, Lily Uzimaki, Dark-Essence94, envygreedgreenthunder, , Death's Shadowy Past, Sanosuke Hidane, SilverHowler, SonokoTao, peppymint, HayHay101, upyoursrasenga, Flame05, Aguescar, Vatani, lady1011, actionliker, Anon, Octavia Andrea Tucker-Harrison, Aurora the Blade Alchemist (2), Yin7, **and** Ella Clevek.

**Oh, and **Tainted-reflection-126 **is the 150th reviewer and gets a chocolate chip cookie!**

**And **Acara Whitefox **is the 200th reviewer! Wow, to have two winners for one chapter shows how long it's taken me to update. She gets a big ol' box of chocolate.**

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Chapter 8: Bitter Rivalries and Taijutsu?

"Next weekend is Hogsmeade," Hermione said at breakfast, in a futile attempt to spark some conversation between the two bickering wizards.

"What's a Hogsmeade?" Naruto asked, ripping off a piece of his pastry and then drowning it in pumpkin juice. He was quite intrigued by the wide variety of food this place offered, and surprisingly found it to be really good, even though there wasn't any ramen.

"A wizard village full of fun shops," Harry said.

"Like Diagon Alley?" Naruto asked. He really enjoyed the place Hagrid had taken them. It reminded him of the marketplace from his dimension but _better_. There were so many vibrant colors and the shops were full of interesting things the shinobi had never seen before. He was actually sad they had to leave so soon.

"Yeah, only not as big," Hermione said. "There are really great shops, like The Three Broomsticks, Zonko's Gift Shop, The Shrieking Shack . . . "

"You need a parent permission form to go though," Ron said offhandedly. Naruto's face fell.

"Oh," he said slowly. "Then I guess you guys will have to have fun without us."

Ron looked up, startled, and the tips of his ears flushed pink. "Y-You could have Kakashi sign a permission form for you! He's pretty much your guardian, and McGonagall really only wants a signature from your legal guardian," he said in a rush.

"Really? All right! Come on, Gaara," Naruto said as he grabbed his friend's shoulder. "Let's go find Kakashi-sensei right now!"

Gaara choked on his bagel and smacked Naruto's hand away. "He's eating breakfast at the moment," Gaara said once he was able to breathe again. "Wait until we're done. We've got until tomorrow." Naruto nodded sheepishly at the other genin's logic and sat back down to finish his meal.

Ron and Harry smirked then turned to each other like they would normally do, but once their eyes met they quickly looked away, smiles turning to scowls. Hermione sighed and rested her face in her hand, the other playing with her food. She had suddenly lost her appetite.

Once everyone was finished, Harry and Ron quickly left without saying a word to each other. Naruto ran towards Kakashi, while Gaara slowly got up then turned back around and looked at Hermione. He stood there awkwardly, as if he weren't sure how to proceed, then leaned forward.

"Don't worry, Hermione," he said, almost like a whisper. "My older sister and brother fight all the time, but they always get over it."

The girl appeared startled at his voice then looked up at him hopefully. "Really? Well, they've always fought before, but it was over little things. This one has deeper sides to it than any other fight they've had though." She paused and bit her lip. "Did your siblings ever have a fight this long?"

Gaara thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, but from what I've gathered from listening to Ron, it's more about his position in his family than it has to do with Harry. They'll get over it sooner or later."

Hermione gave a weak smile. "I guess so. It's just so frustrating, being the only girl of the group. I've got to keep them together all the time."

The young genin nodded. "So does my sister. She's the oldest of Kankuro and me. When our mother died. . . " Gaara froze. What in the hell was he _doing? _He never talked about personal issues with anyone before—not even his own siblings or Naruto. Was there something wrong with him? Was this dimension affecting him in some way?

"Gaara?"

He snapped his attention back to Hermione who wore a strange expression on her face. Gaara wasn't really sure what it was supposed to be, but he felt uncomfortable having it directed at him. She looked both . . . sad and happy at the same time. It wasn't an expression the shinobi wasn't used to seeing.

Hermione then seemed to grow hesitant at his silence, then she reached out and lightly touched his hand. Gaara flinched from the contact as if it had burned his skin. This seemed to make Hermione even more saddened, and Gaara realized he was failing horribly at trying to cheer her up.

"My sister Temari had to take over the duties of our mother and she was only five," Gaara said, finding himself rambling to stop Hermione from looking at him like that. "Kankuro was three, and I was just born. She was very strong, raising the two of us, even though we were a handful. You remind me of her, a little," Gaara said, ending softly. Hermione's eyes widened at the last comment.

"Your friends will be fine."

Hermione nodded slowly, then smiled and uttered a quiet thank you.

As Gaara quickly joined Kakashi and Naruto, he felt uneasy. He really wasn't one to give advice or try to cheer someone up like that. To be honest he didn't understand why he even bothered to do so in the first place. Though, he suppose he felt . . . _normal _here. No one knew what he was or what he had done and if felt . . . nice.

The moment they found out the truth about him though, he knew all the kindness would disappear. But there was no way for that happen, so there was no need to worry.

"_Sure, I'll write you both a permission form, Naruto_," Kakashi said, pulling Gaara back into the conversation. "_I guess I'll be going as well. I've got to keep an eye on Harry_."

"_Thank you, sensei!_" Naruto said. "_Come on Gaara, we have to go to class!_" The two genin said good-bye to the jounin before heading to Transfiguration.

"_So, how're things going with Ron?_" Naruto asked casually, his hands placed behind his head in their familiar spot. Gaara shrugged. "_Yeah, same here_." There was silence for a few moments. "_They're acting just like me and Sasuke, sorta_," Naruto said.

"_And my siblings_," Gaara added.

"_Ah, well. They'll get over it soon_," the blond said with a smile. Then his expression changed. "_How do you think things are going back home? I remember seeing Sakura-chan right before we left Konoha hospital . . . What do you think happened?_" The redhead shrugged again, becoming lost in his own thoughts about what his siblings were doing.

"_How do you think our villages are taking it?_" Gaara asked, a small hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Naruto snorted. "_Probably jumping for joy, at least the elders are. They will see this as the perfect opportunity to finally be rid of me_." Gaara had to agree.

By now they had just entered the Transfiguration classroom and a couple students were staring at them with rapt fascination, listening to their Japanese. The two shinobi were startled for a moment, then realized that apparently the other wizards found their dialect interesting.

"_What, never heard a different language before?_" Naruto huffed. They were looking at him as if he were some animal at a zoo.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward. "Meesetir Uzumaki eund Gaara, eetzthyme tue tai cure seetz."

"_Eh?_" What was she saying? After a few seconds it dawned on Naruto and Gaara. "_The spell wore off!_" Naruto said. He grabbed Gaara's sleeve. "_We have to see Dumbledore-sama right now!_"

Just as they were about to leave McGonagall shouted, "Shtope!" The two genin swung around to face her, able to get the idea of what she meant by her raised hand. She gestured to Naruto's Hitai-ate and then at her hand, signaling that they give it to her. The two shinobi quickly took them off and gave it to her, where she performed the same string of words Dumbledore did on their first day there.

"Now, I'm guessing your . . . sensei's has probably worn off as well? Is there a way to find him?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, but he's already learned your language and doesn't need the spell." McGonagall was shocked for a moment, but oddly found herself not too surprised.

"Well then, it's time for you two to take your seats."

"Kakashi-senSEI!" Naruto yelled, after spotting the jounin in the Common Room after lunch. "Our translation spells wore off before Transfiguration, but Professor McGonagall fixed it for us! We—?"

The jounin waved them off, and then with a happy yet mischievous tone in his voice, said in an undertone, "While I was with Dumbledore-sama, he told me of an offer for all three of us that I know none of us could refuse . . . "

* * *

The next day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione couldn't help but notice that the shinobi appeared to be strangely giddy, with even Gaara slightly distracted. Harry knew that they had left after dinner yesterday to who-knows-where and they still weren't back when he finally went to sleep.

When he asked Naruto about it, he just grinned in his special way and said, "You'll see later on today!"

After lunch, they discovered the reason, or at least part of it. There was a notice that read:

_**Special Class For all Interested!**_

_**Kakashi Hatake and his students will be offering lessons for fighting techniques taught exclusively from their hometown. Anyone interested should report to the castle grounds at 4:00pm. These will be held every consecutive Thursday from this point on.**_

"Techniques from their hometown?" Hermione read in surprise. Harry starting grinning with an almost uncontrollable excitement.

"Do you think it means they will teach us how to do all that stuff they showed us earlier?" He began fantasizing about being able to clone himself like Naruto did, or be able to control the elements like Gaara.

Noticing his look Hermione sighed. "I'm admit their abilities are unbelievable, but the chances that we will be able to perform them are slim. From what they've said about their chakra, their bodies are structured so that they are able to expel that energy. We can only expel our energy through use of our wands or accidents. I seriously doubt—"

"Don't ruin it, Hermione," Harry sighed. "I just think it would be fun. You said so yourself that their abilities are unbelievable, so maybe they know a way we can do it, too!" Realizing nothing else she could say would convince him otherwise, Hermione simply gave up with a small sigh.

At the appointed time, Harry and Hermione found themselves joined by Neville as well as a fair number of people he knew on the grounds, some even from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. With a pang of anger and regret he spotted Ron a couple feet to his left, surrounded by his brothers and Lee Jordan.

The only thing missing were the teachers. He glanced at his watch. 4:03pm. Where were they? Everyone was gathered near a small podium that was undoubtedly for the purpose of teaching whatever the shinobi had in mind, but they were nowhere in sight.

Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and Kakashi appeared, much to the cries of surprise and wonder of many of the students. Then a billow of sand appeared to his right, and they stared in amazement as it transformed into Gaara, and he was wearing his outfit that he had when he first arrived. As he and the rest of the students eagerly awaited Naruto's entrance, a smirking Malfoy stepped up on the platform on Kakashi's left. Harry and those around him groaned, but then started choking on their own spit when Malfoy did something outrageous.

Malfoy had been standing there with his arms folded, his ever present smirk on his face, and then he held his hand over his mouth. He muttered something incoherent and there was a puff of smoke and. When he pulled his hand away he had the thickest lips anyone had ever seen before; they practically reached down to his chin! As everyone's eyes bulged and some even stopped breathing out of pure shock, Malfoy erupted in a similar puff of smoke like Kakashi and Naruto _(in all his bright, orange glory)_ was standing in his place.

He smirked and took a small bow, which after a brief second of silence was met with explosive applause. Many burst into laughter with tears in their eyes at what they had just witnessed.

"That was better than the boggart Snape in your grandmother's outfit!" Seamus cheered, nudging Neville in the ribs playfully, who was bent over with laughter at the moment.

Naruto grinned happily. He didn't have any special transportation jutsu like Kakashi and Gaara, but he sure knew how to make an entrance.

Gaara and Kakashi just shook their heads slowly. _Always keeps you on your toes_, Kakashi thought wryly to himself. However, it was time to get started. He took a small step forward and motioned for silence.

"For all of you who came on the pretense of learning these _jutsu_ that we call them," he began, gesturing to the three of them, "I'm sorry to say that you are gravely mistaken. They are secrets known to our village and we have sworn on our lives never to reveal them to outsiders. It seems it's also impossible for your bodies to manipulate your magic that way anyway."

"_Told you_," Hermione whispered.

"However, your headmaster Dumbledore-sama has given us the permission to hold a taijutsu class." When he was met with confused glances, he sighed and translated, "Taijutsu means hand-to-hand combat." As soon as he stopped talking everyone erupted in excited chatter, willing to overlook the fact that their earlier hopes were dashed.

"Don't you think that would be fun to learn, Harry?" Neville asked timidly since he, Harry, and Seamus had come out of curiosity like the rest of the students.

"Just make sure you don't go using this stuff on Malfoy," Hermione warned. Her mother tone had surfaced and she pointed a finger at Harry. "It will cause more problems than you can handle."

Harry grinned at the image. Malfoy was definitely a possibility, as well as Dudley. He smirked as he imagined his gigantic cousin trying to punch him as he easily blocked him with one slight flick of his wrist.

Kakashi held up his hand, motioning for silence again. Once his command had been carried out, he explained, "Naruto and Gaara will assist me. You will all need a partner, and must take care not to hurt anyone. You and your partner will alternate between attacking and defending. Just in case someone does get hurt, your school nurse is here on guard. Any questions?"

"What's the purpose in learning this?" a snide voice boomed, carrying across the castle grounds. "You're not even from around here, so how can you be certified to teach us?" Harry turned to the voice angrily, wondering why in the world his least favorite person was there. By the grim scowl on the Slytherin's face, Harry could tell the joke Naruto had played had not gone over well.

Kakashi folded his arms and gave a small chuckle, his shoulders moving up and down slightly. Naruto covered his mouth but was unable to contain his laughter so he fell over laughing, clutching his stomach and kicking his feet in the air. That blond brat didn't know who he was dealing with.

Before people could even goggle at Naruto's strange behavior, Kakashi had disappeared, only to reappear behind a startled Malfoy, holding a sharp kunai to his throat.

Once everyone had ceased shrieking at how fast the shinobi had moved, Kakashi turned his attention to the whimpering boy in front of him.

"So you can protect yourself from something like this, brat," he hissed, bringing the kunai closer to Draco's neck. Once he saw the boy understood him, Kakashi released him and returned to the podium as fast as he had left it.

After scanning the group of gaping students, he began, "To answer Draco's first question," he said, holding up a finger, "You all seem to rely too much on your wands in combat, which is part of the reason your headmaster allowed me to teach this class. What would happen if for some reason you lost possession of your wand in the middle of a battle? What would you do? How would you defend yourself? Where I come from, we focus all efforts on learning more than one way to attack and defend. Taijutsu is just one form of combat."

He held up a second finger, and although his face was concealed, many could tell he was grinning mischievously. "To answer his second question, I am more than qualified.

"By the age of 6, I knew over 100 ways to kill a man with my bare hands. By age 14, I became a member of the most powerful organization my village has, the ANBU, which translates into your language as the Assassination Tactics Special Military Force." He paused as realization sunk in.

"Yes, at an age when most of you kids were still sucking your thumbs, I was going on squad or solo assassination missions to protect my village from destruction." Many people gasped and stared up at the man before them in horror. _Was he that good?_

The copy ninja chuckled happily. Oh how he enjoyed frightening the younger children. "Now, to your training." He turned to Naruto and Gaara, each of who nodded in turn. "To ensure you that what you shall be learning is actually helpful, I will give you a demonstration of how you _might_ be able to use the skills you learn here. Naruto and Gaara will come at me using _only taijutsu_," he said with a little emphasis, mainly glaring at Naruto who grinned sheepishly. Trust Naruto to let his competitive spirit get the best of him.

Everyone was dead silent as the three shinobi prepared themselves in a defensive position. They had moved from the podium to a large open space to everyone's right and got themselves situated. The only things that moved were the leaves that swayed in the wind. Suddenly Kakashi reached behind him for his weapons pouch. The crowd tensed, wondering what he'd do, while Naruto snorted.

_Show off,_ he muttered to himself.

To everyone's surprise but Naruto's, Kakashi pulled out a small orange book with his left hand and began reading.

"Start."

_He's reading a book?_ Hermione wondered skeptically. _He can't be serious. There is no way a person can focus enough attention on reading _and_ defend themself at the same time!_ The others shared her doubt.

Naruto and Gaara charged, while at the last second splitting off into different directions. Naruto suddenly appeared behind Kakashi and attempted a spinning kick while Kakashi just squatted down to avoid it, still reading.

Meanwhile Gaara came from the left, arm curled in a fist towards the crouching shinobi, who merely stuck out his right hand to catch it, not even looking up. Gaara used the hand Kakashi gripped as leverage, shifted his center of gravity and spun his right leg around to kick him in the face.

Kakashi gripped the fist tighter and then jumped into the air, performing a quick front flip with Gaara still in tow, and as soon as his feet touched ground, Kakashi swung Gaara into Naruto, who had been attempting to sneak up behind him.

Too surprised by what had happened, Naruto wasn't able to move out of the way, and with Gaara having spent too much energy concentrating on subduing the sand's will to break his fall so that he could fight normally, the two genin collided and crashed onto the ground in a big heap.

The students let out a breath they had all been holding. It all happened so fast they almost couldn't tell what happened! That guy had blocked all their attacks without so much as a glance!

Kakashi smiled and looked up from his book. "Over already? I must say you have improved more than the last time we fought Naruto, but not much. I also expected more from you, Gaara of the Desert," he taunted.

Naruto practically threw Gaara off him and stood up angrily, crossing his hands to make a "T."

"I'm going to make you stop reading your pervy book, sensei!" Naruto hollered.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Those who hadn't witnessed what happened in the dungeons gasped in shock and amazement as five clones of Naruto appeared besides him in small puffs of smoke.

The blond leaped into the air, his clones close behind him. "Let's see you defend six of me while reading!"

The jounin sighed. For some reason he was having a vague sense of déjà vu from the first time they engaged in combat. _Would Naruto fall for the same trick?_ he wondered silently as he proceeded to pocket his favorite book. _Also, didn't I say to only use taijutsu?_

Sure enough Kakashi sensed the presence of another bunshin come behind him, and again, he allowed himself to be caught "by surprise."

In no time at all the other bunshin grasped his legs in a pitiful attempt to hold him down while Naruto came crashing down in front of him, but at the last second Naruto twisted in midair and flung numerous shuriken towards the tree where he knew his sensei was hiding.

_Looks like he _has _improved, _Kakashi thought proudly, easily jumping down from the tree out of harms way. However, as soon as he touched the ground, four Gaaras rose up out of the dirt, earth style, surrounding him.

_Guess I should actually do some hand-to-hand combat now._

With that, Kakashi prepared himself and blocked, parried, and fended every kick, blow, or punch thrown his way by Gaara's clones. Soon Naruto joined the attacks with his shadow clones, and Kakashi admittedly found himself expending more energy and focus than he originally thought he would have.

However, after a couple minutes of intense fighting, he performed a quick seal as he rolled in midair and in an instant every sand or shadow clone had a clone of himself behind them, a kunai to their throat.

The shinobi slid on the ground, using his hand to support himself, and then stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothes composedly. "That'll be enough for today," he said simply. Naruto and Gaara nodded, and soon all three dispelled their clones at once.

Kakashi brought his hand up to his chin and appeared thoughtful. "You guys did pretty well, better than I expected, even if you used ninjutsu when I wanted just taijutsu." _(The two shinobi found themselves conveniently distracted by something in the trees) _Then he faced the wizards as if nothing had ever happened. "If you work hard, you _might_ be able to last a few seconds in a battle like this. Find a partner and make sure you are all a safe distance away from each other." He paused as everyone carried out his orders.

"Let's begin!"

* * *

As everyone walked up to the castle an hour later, many were talking nonstop about what they had witnessed and learned, with many first years practicing some of the moves as they walked, full of energy.

Harry, Hermione, Neville, Seamus, Ron, the twins, and Lee Jordan all stayed behind, eager to speak with the shinobi and congratulate them.

"That was bloody wicked!" Fred exclaimed once they were alone.

"Truly an art," George agreed. He brushed away a false tear.

"I'm coming every week!" Seamus said.

The shinobi smiled, though Gaara just looked slightly pleased. This continued as they made their way to the Great Hall for dinner and throughout the meal. Harry and Ron made sure they were on opposite sides of the shinobi of course.

Needless to say, the shinobi were the most popular people that night. They were bombarded with questions in the common room once dinner was adjourned. Gaara was slightly apprehensive at all the attention, not used to all the grins and pleasant comments being directed at him. As time wore on though he felt more comfortable, if not just due to the fact that people were staying up later, meaning that he had less time being all alone in the Common Room.

Naruto was soaking every compliment thrown his way, having never received much positive attention from his pranks before. There was Konohamaru and his friends, but that was about it.

As Kakashi observed the scene, trying to answer as many questions that were directed at him as kindly as he could, he couldn't be more pleased. Not only were Naruto and Gaara being treated like humans instead of monsters, he had hoped to send a message to whomever he was trailing in protection of Harry that he and his students were not to be reckoned with. He wanted the person to know that they would have to think twice before trying to get in the way of his mission, that they would get possession of Harry over his dead body.

The next morning was slightly less eventful, but Harry's spirits fell as soon as he glanced at the headline article Hermione was doing her best to hide from him.

_The Fourth Triwizard Champion?_: _The Exclusive Interview with The Boy Who Lived_

He groaned and realized that this was most likely the first of many uncomfortable and embarrassing situations to come.

_I'll kill that woman_.

* * *

**Oh, and I realize that the whole article with Rita Skeeter is a little out of order chronologically, but I'm using it to transition into the next chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Butterbeer, Dragons, & Sirius

**Before I forget, thank you reviewers! They are_:_**Shadow Zeranion, Harue Harlequin, actionliker, Lily Yamamoto, Originalatorian, Queen Haydee River, envygreedgreenthunder, Kammari, SoujiroWannabe, yaoifangrl4ever, Acara Whitefox, Death's Shadowy Past, SilverHowler, The Group of One, Shawny Wong, , Ella Clevek, Hailey619, Tainted-reflection-126, Acara Whitefox, Namikaze14, .Guy, lady1011, Octavia Andrea Tucker-Harri..., Uzumaki Naruko14, shadowstorm13, The Full Moon Crys, shadowstorm13, Flaming Beauty, cardcaptor eternity, azaneti, Yin7, Dragonlord-ex, r2d2cool, Flame05, Matthew Blackheart, Aguescar, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, Golden feathers Edward, Lily Uzimaki, Dead from beyond the grave, Spirit HellFire, Funabisenu, killroy777, Bane of Shinigami, Saubey, Narutoboyluver, greengirl6, HayHay101, Naruto Fan, MadnessLover, Marz1, digi-writer1392, SilverAegis, Girl, Fellow Writer Without Account, Vatani, xX Naru Fantasy Xx, Spaz, sugarcrazedninja, **and** .girl!

**Oh, and the 250th reviewer was** Narutoboyluver!** She gets a peanut butter cookie.**

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Chapter 9: Butterbeer, Dragons, and Sirius

"This place is amazing!" Naruto yelled happily, spinning around to try and look at all the shops at once.

Hermione smirked. "At least with him around I won't look like an idiot talking to myself if I want to talk to you," she snapped at Harry.

He rolled his eyes. "Hermione, you_ know_ what would happen if I showed myself! People would bombard me with questions or throw tissues at me, all because of what that—" _(he paused for a second and quickly jumped out of the way of someone who ran past them)_ "devil woman wrote about me," he finished in a whisper. He had a more colorful word in mind but couldn't say it in front of Hermione.

"How about we meet up with Ron over by—"

"No."

She sighed in frustration, pulling a strand of hair behind her head and threw up her shoulders in defeat. "Fine! Have it your way!"

"Hermione! Hermione!" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly appeared inches from her face, causing the girl to shriek in surprise and fall backwards into an unprepared Harry who quickly pushed her back up, worried about anyone seeing the strange sight.

"Wha—what is it, Naruto?" she asked calmly, trying to regain her composure.

"Can we go there?" he pleaded, pointing to an inviting shop that many people were entering and exiting. "It has brooms like in Quidditch!"

Harry chuckled. Naruto didn't know how to read English, but he was able to decipher the meaning behind the three broomsticks bundled together next to the sign.

"That's an excellent idea, Naruto," Hermione said happily. "A tall glass of butterbeer is just what we need."

Naruto frowned for a second then shook his finger motherly at them. "Even where _I_ come from, you're not allowed to have sake until you're at _least_ 15 years old, although Ero-sennin did tell me Tsunade broke that rule a million times over," he added in an undertone to himself.

The two wizards stared at him for a second in bewilderment before Hermione sighed. "It's not _real_ beer, that's just the name for it. Butterbeer is one of the most popular drinks around here, and you'll find out why once you try one. By the way, how old was this—Tsunade when she started drinking sake?" she added as an afterthought as they made their way into the warm shop, the tantalizing aromas rushing over them.

"Ero-sennin guessed around twelve," Naruto said with a smirk, glancing at everything around him while still focusing on the conversation. "She's been a drunk ever since and I've had to throw water on her every once and a while, with the help of Shizune. It's tough work at times, but at first she had a reason to, with all her precious people dying and all, but now that she's Hokage it's a little better for her so she doesn't do it as much—"

As Naruto began to ramble on and on about the drunken lady, Harry paid attention to Hermione's face and noticed her dismay at hearing such a story and he found himself wincing at the look in her eye. The wizard swore that if she could, his friend would make sure Naruto and his friends never went home, insisting that they receive a better upbringing and then maybe even go over to where they came from and try to save all the murderous and drunken twelve-year-olds.

"Uh, Hermione?" he whispered, trying to distract her from the ideas no doubt formulating in her mind. "The drinks?"

She blinked. "Oh, right." She lightly tapped Naruto's shoulder and gestured for him to follow her to the counter to receive their drinks. Seeing how crowded it was, Harry didn't dare follow, so instead he tried to search for an open table.

To his discomfort, he spotted Ron sitting with Fred, George, Lee Jordan, and Gaara, who appeared to be quite fascinated by the butterbeer and was drinking it contentedly, as if it was the most amazing thing he had ever come across. Resisting the urge to hit Ron or spill his drink, he sniggered at the thought of Gaara becoming addicted to butterbeer. He wondered if it would have any sort of effect on the strange shinobi.

Suddenly he spotted Kakashi sitting by himself at a table, a glass of butterbeer to the side and a large book in front of him. Harry had always seen him with his nose in a book, and was puzzled as to why. _He probably reads more than Hermione! Has he read the whole library yet?_

The jounin suddenly glanced up, as if he could hear Harry's thoughts, and seemed to zero in on him. He raised his visible eyebrow and then gestured over to the table. Harry quickly turned around to see who he was pointing to, and when there was no one, stared back at the shinobi who appeared to sigh for a moment.

Very carefully Kakashi lifted up his headband and slowly opened his eyelid, revealing the Sharingan underneath, meeting Harry's eyes perfectly. The boy shuddered slightly, still wary of that eye and realized that he most likely was able to see him, or at least sense him like Gaara did. _Does that eye see through invisible cloaks?_

Harry quickly maneuvered around the different tables to find a seat to Kakashi's right, who calmly covered his disfigured eye and focused his attention back to his reading.

"Didn't want anyone to know you were here, ne?" he asked quietly, not even taking his gaze off the book. Harry could have sworn the jounin was smiling underneath that mask.

"Exactly."

"Wouldn't blame you. Your wizard abilities still fascinate me, creating a cloak that's invisible? That's a type of jutsu people in my world would kill for."

Harry found himself not doubting Kakashi's words one bit. "So, what are you doing here?" he asked, eager to divert the topic of the conversation from death, which the shinobi talked about with too much ease for Harry's comfort.

"Just wanted to check out the town for anything crucial to your predicament," he said casually. "While inspecting the different shops, I overheard some students discussing this place, and going on and on about how great this butterbeer tasted, so I decided to come taste it for myself. It wasn't what I expected, but it's quite good. There's even a small hint of sake taste in it."

Harry's eyes widened. _Sake? But from how Naruto described it, sake is like alcohol! _He hastily sought out Madame Rosmerta and stared. _What else is in our drinks?_

Kakashi frowned, sensing his discomfort. "You know what sake is then?"

"Yeah, Naruto was talking about some Tsunade lady when he thought butterbeer was actual beer."

"Don't worry, the taste isn't alcohol, it's just the flavoring that makes sake so enjoyable. In our world sake is alcohol with some flavoring to it, because so many shinobi complained about how the stench of alcohol would give them away after drinking it if they tried to go on a mission, so a new ingredient was added to disguise the smell. It does give a slight sense of euphoria though, which is probably why you all enjoy it so much, but you won't suffer any side effects like if you drank sake."

"Harry?" Hermione whispered quietly, staring at the spot opposite of Kakashi, two butterbeers in her hand.

"Over here," he muttered. Upon hearing his voice she sighed in relief.

"I told you," Naruto sulked, pulling a chair back and taking a drink of his butterbeer.

Hermione blushed in embarrassment. "I—I just didn't think it was possible," she tried to say in defense. The blond rolled his eyes and returned to his butterbeer, clearly enjoying it.

"What are you doing here, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto decided to ask instead.

"Just scouting out the village," he replied calmly, pausing for a second in his reading to smile at his student. Despite what Kakashi told him earlier, Harry also had a sinking feeling that the jounin was also keeping an eye on him, just like Dumbledore had told him to do.

He clenched the glass of butterbeer Hermione had slipped to him underneath his cloak tightly as he took a sip. _Why do I always have to be babied and looked after?_ He liked Kakashi, but the fact that he was on orders to watch him still angered the wizard.

"So you were able to sense Harry too, Kakashi?" Hermione asked.

He nodded. "You'll find that our abilities allow us to do many things you wouldn't be able to believe, Ms. Granger." He paused for a second. "Just like I can tell you that Hagrid and Professor Moody are about to enter."

All three children directed their attention to the front door, where surprisingly enough, the large, bulky frame of Hagrid entered, followed by the hobbling Mad-Eye.

Hermione's mouth was slightly open, amazed that she found herself _again_ bested by her lack of knowledge in the capabilities of the foreigners.

They watched as the duo made their way to the counter where Hagrid ordered an enormous tankard of who knows what, while Moody preferred to drink from his hip flask, much to Rosmerta's annoyance.

Harry knew better though. Moody simply believed it was safer to drink from his own hip flask than trust anyone else, due to the fact that he was so paranoid about some Dark Wizard poisoning his drink. As the two talked, Harry noticed in confusion how Moody's swiveling eye seemed to focus in on Gaara_ (who appeared to be drinking his second butterbeer) _and then it spun around so fast it made his head hurt until it zeroed in on them.

The Auror whispered something to Hagrid who glanced up suddenly and turned his attention to their table and broke out in a grin. Before long they both made their way over.

"All right Hermione? Naruto? Kakashi?" said Hagrid loudly. The three nodded.

"Nice cloak, Potter," Moody wheezed.

"So you can see me, too?" Harry sighed. Mad-Eye appeared confused for a moment, then glanced at Kakashi and grinned, but not before Naruto noticed the strange glint in the man's eye.

Hagrid was simply beaming, not able to see Harry himself but impressed with the fact that he was there anyway. As Moody began to leave with a quick nod of his head, Hagrid leaned forward as if to glance at Kakashi's book and threw a quick nervous glance at Kakashi.

"Harry, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin. Wear that cloak." With another uneasy glance at Kakashi he straightened up and said loudly. "Nice ter see yeh all again," with a wink before departing after Moody.

"Why would he want to see me at midnight?" Harry wondered aloud.

"He does?" Hermione said, looking startled. "What could he possibly want to show you?" she gasped. "It probably isn't a good idea, you know. It might make you late for your appointment," she hissed in an undertone, not daring to say Sirius's name in front of the shinobi.

Harry's eyes widened as he realized she was right, then came across another sinking thought, one that he would have to discuss without the shinobi around.

"I—if you'll excuse us, we have something personal . . . to discuss," he said nervously, not quite sure how to get away from them politely.

Kakashi nodded, still engrossed in the book, acting as if he didn't find their behavior peculiar at all, while Naruto peered at them warily.

"Yeah, um—sorry for having to leave you two, but we have to get going," Hermione finished, just as nervously. After a small awkward pause the two hastily exited, with Harry keeping watch over the shinobi, just in case they decided to follow them.

Once they were gone Kakashi closed A Brief History of Notable Dragons and leaned forward, speaking in a low voice. "Listen carefully Naruto, because I'll need you to give these instructions to Gaara as well. Tonight we need to . . . ."

* * *

"Is the coast clear?" Hermione muttered, pretending to rub her hands together and blow on them.

Harry nodded. "Don't worry about getting back, I won't be gone long. Now, the thing we have to worry about is Gaara. Sirius said to meet him by the fire at 1am, and he never sleeps!"

She gasped as she realized what Harry was getting at. "This is terrible! How can we distract him? It's not like I could invite him to come do something. Maybe you could ask—"

"No!" He was seriously getting fed up with Hermione's constant attempts to repair his and Ron's friendship for them. "We just need to figure out another way to make sure he's not in the Gryffindor tower when Sirius arrives . . . "

* * *

Come half past eleven, Harry was astonished at his luck. Gaara had left with Kakashi around ten to help him out with something, and Naruto had gone to bed early, suffering the downfall of his sugar high he had achieved from the butterbeer he had drank earlier. It was not a pretty sight, Naruto on a sugar high. He was immensely grateful when the blond decided to go to bed.

And so, with a slight sense of trepidation mixed in with his amazement, Harry made his way to Hagrid's cabin, and knocked on the door, the action of which was followed immediately by Fang's howls.

"You there, Harry?" Hagrid whispered upon opening the door, peering through the dark.

"Yeah."

A couple minutes later Harry was incredibly confused, wondering why Hagrid had seemed to completely forget him and wasescorting _(he shuddered a little at the strange sight) _Madame Maxime around the perimeter of the forest, but all was forgotten when they were out of sight of the castle.

He simply couldn't believe his eyes.

_Dragons_.

Standing before him were enormous, ferocious-looking dragons tethered to a large enclosure, spewing torrents of fire from their nostrils and fanged mouths, clearly not pleased with their current predicament. There was a flurry of men rushing about trying to calm the beasts, and Harry was at a loss to how they were able to contain them.

"_Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!_" Harry glanced off towards his left where a tree had been lit on fire and was startled as a large column of water came out of the lake towards the tree, effectively suffocating the fire, leaving behind a charred stump in its wake. He noticed Kakashi standing with his back to the group, clearly there to prevent the dragons from burning down the castle grounds.

"_Sabaku SouShu!_" Turning to his right, Harry noticed Gaara there as well, surrounding a burning bush with his sand and crushing it, effectively smothering the flames.

_So this is what Kakashi wanted him to do_. Suddenly he remembered how the shinobi could sense his presence and how Kakashi could even see him with that freaky eye of his, and ducked behind a bush, then after further observance of the shinobi concluded that they had enough on their hands to notice he was there.

However, he did have to leave soon if he wanted to make his meeting with Sirius.

As he rushed into the common room a while later, Harry noticed with relief that there was no one there, and Hermione didn't have to use any Dungbombs to clear it out. The smell would have put a damper on his reunion with his beloved godfather. He put his cloak down on the couch, slightly perturbed by the revelation that Ron had known about the dragons without telling him, and the mere fact that the first task had to do with _dragons__!_ How was he supposed to maneuver around a dragon with everyone looking?

With a sigh Harry turned his direction to the fireplace and nearly had a heart attack at Sirius's head floating in midair. After overcoming his initial fright, he calmed down and began to have a pleasant conversation with his godfather, despite the foreboding topic they discussed.

It was ended abruptly when Harry heard someone coming down the stairs. Afraid it was Naruto, Harry reluctantly told his godfather to leave, then waited in anticipation for whoever was coming downstairs. To his dismay, it only turned out to be Ron.

After chucking a badge up to his friend and storming off, Harry fell into an uneasy sleep, with Ron coming up a little after.

Once the common room was silent again, Naruto let out a deep breath and emerged from the wall, having previously merged with it, earth style. Kakashi had spent the rest of the day once Harry and Ron had left, teaching him the jutsu.

As he panted from the chakra drain, Naruto chuckled gleefully at his success. He couldn't believe it! Kakashi had been thoroughly impressed with his progress, being able to learn quite an advanced skill in so short a time.

His sensei had figured something was up between Harry and Hermione and made a clone henged into a dog follow them secretly as they left, learning that Harry was going to be meeting some strange man at one in the morning, and they were worried about Gaara overseeing the encounter. He informed Naruto that he guessed Hagrid wanted to show Harry the dragons, reason being that he had been asked to assist the dragon keepers that night.

Because it was his duty to make sure Harry was safe and nothing went wrong, he had instructed Naruto to oversee the exchange, while Gaara assisted him in containing the dragons with his sand. The genin was quite pleased that his sensei had entrusted such an important task to him, and while he wished he could have the chance to see the dragons, he knew that he was better suited for the task he had been given. Besides, Kakashi told him that he needed to work on his stealth anyway.

"Mission completed!" he congratulated himself. His face fell slightly though, as he recalled the previous incident between Harry and Ron. After Harry had run past the redhead, Ron stood there for a few moments, completely stunned, then picked up the badge that had collided with his forehead, rubbing it gingerly.

In frustration he tossed it into the fire where Sirius's face had previously been_ (Naruto was still amazed how that had happened, and wished he had a better view of the head, but there was no way he could move without being seen)_ where it blew up in flames. Once the flames died down Ron kicked the couch angrily, tears welling up in his eyes and he collapsed on his favorite chair in defeat, staring off into space in despair.

He looked so sad that Naruto resisted the urge to go over and cheer him up, but that would only cause more problems; in fact, he might even give Ron a heart attack, because he was sure these wizards had never seen anyone merge with a wall before.

Finally the sullen boy left the common room and trudged back upstairs, just as Naruto was about to release the jutsu, seeing as hoit took a lot of chakra and he had just barely learned it.

He reached behind a picture frame on the nearest coffee table and pulled out a small glass of butterbeer that he had placed there before Harry returned and happily started drinking it as he waited for Kakashi and Gaara to return.

When the two shinobi finally did return, their arrival was welcomed with Naruto's sleeping form strewn across the couch, a glass of almost finished butterbeer held loosely in his hand across his chest, with the remains slowly dripping onto his shirt.

Gaara sighed and brought out his wand, effectively cleaning his friend's shirt. Kakashi chuckled at the sight and gently lifted the genin into his arms.

"I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happened." Gaara nodded and threw away the bottle while Kakashi carefully carried his exhausted student to bed. As he watched the sleeping form of the boy, he sighed at the prospect of being pounced on the moment Naruto got up, the youth demanding for information about the dragons. He knew the boy really wanted to see them, but it was better for him to learn that new jutsu and know his sensei entrusted him with such responsibility.

The jounin couldn't explain why, but this particular student always made him want to make the genin happy, because it was difficult to see Naruto without that signature smile on his face, an exact replica of his father's, Kakashi's beloved sensei.

"Sweet dreams, Naruto," he whispered.

* * *

Before Harry knew it, it was the day before the 1st task, and he had no idea what to do. He had just told Cedric about the dragons, and was frightened when Moody asked him to follow him, fully prepared to be reprimanded. And so, it was with utter surprise that he learned Moody somewhat "congratulated" him, and then gave him a little advice on what to do.

He needed Hermione, that much was certain. In order to "play to his strength" he needed her help in learning how to perfect his Summoning Charm—by tomorrow.

His search led him to the courtyard, where there was a wide open space surrounded by open halls with rooms on one side and pillars opposite of them leading into the clearing.

Harry groaned as he found Hermione, for among the crowd she was with _(Gaara, Naruto, Fred, and George)_ Ron was there as well. Harry still hadn't forgiven him for not telling him about the dragons.

_There will be time for that later_, he reasoned.

"Hermione!" he called out, ignoring the angry scowl on Ron's face.

"What is it?" she asked, raising her eyebrow in bewilderment at his hurried appearance, wondering if something was wrong.

"I've got to ask you—"

"Oi! Foreigners!" Harry spun around to notice one of his least favorite people behind him, a smug look pasted on his pale face.

Gaara and Naruto scowled and faced the blond boy. Naruto with his hands behind his head and eyes in narrow slits and Gaara with his arms folded, neither of them in the mood for dealing with Draco at the moment. Harry sighed and wondered what the boy had in store for them this time.

Malfoy snickered and walked to the door closest to him, placing his hand on the door handle with his wand directed at it.

"_Alohomora_," he whispered before swinging the door open. As soon as it opened he jumped out of the way and the shinobi realized all too late that this was not going to be good.

A pale hand reached out of the shadows, followed by an arm, then purple eyes and short, yellow hair.

* * *

**Looks like Malfoy is going to stay true to his word to try and make the two shinobi regret their harsh treatment.**

**Oh, and I really just want to thank EVERYONE who has ever reviewed this story! You are truly the ones that make me want to put my absolute best effort into this story, and I will continue to give you all my best! **


	10. The Power Unleashed

**Thanks to all my reviewers: **Ella Clevek, .girl, Shadow Zeranion, Hailey619, cardcaptor eternity, Lupanari, Sakuramar, xX Naru Fantasy Xx, dragongirl92, yaoifangrl4ever, MadnessLover, Acara Whitefox, sugarcrazedninja, ReaperofDarkness, Tainted-reflection-126, Megaolix, wednesday1990, Kitty-chan, upyoursrasengan, kyuubi-rain, Lily Yamamoto, Octavia Andrea Tucker-Harrison, r2d2cool, The Group of One, , Utena-Puchiko-nyu, Namikaze naru14, Kammari, Talonspike, Namikaze14, Uzumaki Naruko14, Shadowed Mist, Marz1, sandaime23, envygreedgreenthunder, Kitty-chan and Nya-chan, Lunatic Pandora1, Harue Harlequin, Sanosuke Hidane, qtar1984, yuroshima, **and** ArrangedloveMatch**.**

**The 300th reviewer was **envygreedgreenthunder **and has asked for a piece of galaxy chocolate! Here you go!**

**I'd also like to give a little thank you to **Megaolix** for giving a quick burst of inspiration for an aspect of this chapter that I was struggling with!**

* * *

Chapter 10: The Power Unleashed

Gaara couldn't help gasping in shock as his uncle stood before him.

"Ya—Yashamaru?" he whispered. _Why was he here? There was no way he could have survived that blast . . . and stayed hidden all those years. Gaara knew he was dead—he had seen the body!_

Suddenly there was a flash of light and his uncle lay against the wall with blood splattered all over; just like it was all those years ago. People in the hall screamed in horror at all the blood but they ceased walking to find out the cause. Did that Gaara guy kill him?

"Gaara . . . ," his uncle wheezed. The redhead couldn't take it. He fell to his knees, tugging his hair and tried to control his conflicting emotions.

"I was ordered by your father, the Kazekage . . . to kill you." This was met with gasps from many who stood around, and the wizards all stared at Gaara. Naruto was the most surprised. He had figured that his friend's past was not a pleasant one, but to have his own father order people to kill him? That was worse than not having a father.

"STOP!" People were shocked. His whole stay, Gaara had been completely reserved, hardly displaying his emotions save it be a small smile or angry scowl, but he had never lost control before.

"You were never loved. You have no friends. You are a monster." Although he said it quietly, the words sliced through the air, piercing the young boy's heart.

"SHUT UP!"

"Gaara." He looked up, and observed in horror that his mother had appeared next to the dying Yashamaru; she was as beautiful as her picture showed, but she did not wear the same kind expression. His mother examined him as if he were a piece of garbage.

"You were only born to satisfy the needs of the village. Live on, so that my hatred lives on, my son." Then she turned to sand and was blown away.

Suddenly Yashamaru transformed into Gaara, who scowled. "You cannot escape it. Shukaku will take over, because you are a _monster!_" At the last word the fake Gaara began to transform into a miniature form of Shukaku.

Students screamed as sandy arms and legs appeared, covered in purple veins. Shaking off his confusion and fear, Naruto jumped in front of Gaara, ready to attack the bastard who was hurting his friend. _Was this some sort of genjutsu? _he wondered.

In mid-transformation the boggart paused and then with a crack turned into a young Naruto, who had tears running down his face as he sobbed quietly. To his horror he heard the whispers of the villagers echoing through the outside hall.

"That's him."

"Stay away or he'll kill you!"

"You're a monster!"

"Go away!"

"It's not true! _Kai!_" Naruto yelled in an attempt to stop the genjutsu. The crying child did not go away. "_Kai! Kai! Kai!_"

When it still did not disappear, he chucked a kunai at the sobbing figure, who jumped aside and turned into a miniature version of the Nine-Tailed Fox, while Sakura and Sasuke appeared beside it.

"Naruto?" the boggart Sakura asked, staring in horror at the fox. In response the demon slashed a tail through her chest, spilling blood everywhere. Once she fell, she turned towards the real Naruto and whispered, "It's true. You are a monster," and then she died.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Seeing her die because of him before him and hearing her call him a monster was almost too much. He was unable to prevent the horrified tears form falling down his face.

"Naruto." This was the one he feared the most. Sasuke was examining him with disgust and hatred, his Sharingan eyes flaring.

"You wasted all this time trying to save me. It was worthless; I should have killed you the last time we met." Then to Naruto's horror he reached up to his face and pulled the fleshy mask off to be replaced by the sinister face of Orochimaru.

"I've already taken over his body!" the snake man hissed, licking his lips with his unnaturally long tongue. "You will be my next container!" Everyone screamed as his neck flew up in the air like a snake and charged towards the boy, fangs extended, ready for the bite to produce a curse mark.

At this time Ron regained mobility in his legs and jumped in front of Naruto just in time; the freaky snake man's face an inch in front of his. The man laughed manically, and then turned into a giant spider.

"_Riddikulus_!" Instantly the legs of the spider had tiny skates, and Ron laughed forcefully as it struggled to stay up then repeated the incantation, causing the boggart to disappear in a cloud of smoke with a small pop.

Everyone was silent, except for the groaning and panting of the two shinobi. Hermione and Harry had their hands on Gaara's shoulders, trying to calm him down. His ragged breathing and painful whimpering were heartbreaking.

"_Aguamenti_," Hermione said slowly, aiming the tiny stream of water into the boy's face in an attempt to shake him out of it.

Instead of it doing what she expected it to do, she and Harry gasped as his skin darkened, and it seemed as if pieces of his face were falling off. After a second had passed they realized it was sand falling in soggy chunks. Underneath was untouched, pale skin.

Hermione gingerly lifted Gaara's head up to face her, and was horrified to see that his pupils had shrunk and the blood vessels in his eyes were large and many in number. Suddenly his breathing came in ragged gasps, in a voice deeper than his own, mixed with cries of pain.

Meanwhile, those who weren't staring at Gaara had their attention on the yellow haired boy, who was standing with his hands clenched and eyes covered in shadows. There was a suffocating presence all around him, and people stood transfixed as what appeared to be orange flames began to circulate around his body.

He began to roar and snarl like an animal, and the stone floor he stood on began to crack; pieces of sand and dirt starting to rise up and swirl around him.

Ron gulped and put an arm out to touch the boy but the orange flames around Naruto charged towards Ron. They slammed him against the wall and he slid to the ground as he coughed and blood trickled down his jaw.

"RON!" Their past argument forgotten, Harry felt torn between rushing to protect his friend and staying with Hermione.

Only when Naruto glanced up did people awaken from their paralysis. They ran away when they saw his eyes had changed to a fiery red with black slits, whisker marks more pronounced, his teeth turned into fangs, and his nails grew considerably.

Out of nowhere Kakashi appeared and charged toward Naruto. He had been propped against a tree near the Forbidden Forest, reading a book when he felt the Nine-Tailed Demon's chakra permeate the air.

"NARUTO!" He tried to charge at the boy, but the orange chakra that surrounded him thrust the teacher back, who collided with the ground so forcefully it cracked. Kakashi swore a long string of curses in his native language as he pushed himself up.

His eyes widened as Naruto bent down on all fours and one distinct chakra tail appeared.

"Everybody MOVE!" Kakashi racked his brains for an answer to calm the boy as all the students scurried for their lives. As he thought, he noticed Gaara panting on the floor, while Hermione and Harry dragged him out of harms way. Kakashi could then feel the presence of Shukaku forcibly trying to wriggle his way out.

He swore again. He did _not_ need two demons coming loose here, not when he was the only one who could stop them. The trouble was that he was in a confined area with all these innocent wizards, so he wouldn't be able to use a strong jutsu to disarm the boy. Anything too powerful could potentially harm the nearby wizards, so he would have to try using the basics, and he greatly doubted his ability to do so. He was dealing with an emotionally unbalanced Jinchuuriki after all.

Despite the slim chances, the copy ninja performed some rapid seals, forcing the stone tiles on the floor to uproot themselves and tie the boy down. After a few seconds Naruto gathered his chakra and destroyed the stone chains, scattering rubble everywhere as he did so.

_I need to stop him before he grows another tail,_ thought Kakashi. _But how?_ Sadly, he didn't have much time to think as Naruto charged, sending his own chakra shuriken in his sensei's direction.

Kakashi dodged as many as he could, returning them with real shuriken and kunai in full. He allowed the partially possessed boy to come close to him, and when he struck Kakashi performed Kawarimi, forcing Naruto to completely demolish a tree stump instead of him.

He reappeared behind Naruto but before he could strike, the boy swung around and slashed his vulpine claws across Kakashi's unprotected body, ripping his jounin jacket off and reducing his black undershirt to shreds. Kakashi howled in pain as the powerful claws made deep, bloody grooves that ran from his right shoulder to left hip.

The shinobi jumped out of harms way and clutched his chest, blood trickling down to the floor. He couldn't give up now! Even with one tail Naruto would be able to destroy the enormous castle, along with everyone in it.

"Come on Hermione! We have to move," Harry said as they did their best to drag Gaara away from the battle.

"I—I'm trying!" Hermione said, unable to tear her eyes from the fight going on between Kakashi and Naruto. "What's happening to them?" she asked fearfully.

Harry found himself unable to answer that question. "Gaara, what—" Suddenly the boy threw the two off of him with such force that they flew a couple feet before landing on the ground.

They both rolled on the grass for a couple yards, then were instantly brought to their feet by the other bystanders who had ran out of the way. Neville and Dean quickly lifted Harry off the ground while the twins helped Hermione.

"Thanks, guys," Harry panted, yet his jaw dropped as he turned his attention back to Gaara.

Sand was streaming out of his robes, attaching to his right arm and right side of his face. To everyone's horror, it appeared that he was transforming into the hideous creature the boggart had started to turn into. The half of Gaara's face that was transformed looked like some sort of dog, with strange yellow eyes and drool running down the side. The half of his body that was Gaara was in obvious pain, as he screamed in fury and tugged at his hair.

Without even realizing what she was doing, Hermione wrenched her arms out of Fred and George's grasp and ran towards Gaara, pleading for him to stop.

"HERMIONE MOVE!" Harry cried as the half-transformed Gaara lifted up his right hand and tried to crush her to the ground with it. She shrieked and jumped out of the way. The arm collided with the ground where she had been just seconds before.

However, some of the spewed earth knocked Hermione off balance and caused her to land on the ground again. She coughed and tried to brush the dirt off of her face, and then to Harry's dismay, a large sand tail appeared on Gaara and he shifted slightly to bring it down on the unsuspecting girl.

Harry yanked out his wand and the next few seconds seemed to go by slowly, as if time was on a standstill. He quickly racked his memory on how to perform the summoning spell, then performed the necessary movements, and bellowed with as much feeling as he could possibly muster, "_ACCIO HERMIONE!_"

Before he had a chance to register that it worked Hermione crashed into him, knocking him to the ground once more, only this time it hurt a lot. The witch scrambled off him hurriedly and sat him up.

"Harry? Harry!" She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed he was all right. "That was an amazing use of a Summoning spell," she admitted, quite pleased with his performance.

Brushing off the compliment, Harry turned his attention back to Gaara, who appeared incredibly confused, looking back and forth between Hermione and Harry on the ground and then the spot where he had almost obliterated the girl.

"**Finish them!**" a deep voice uttered.

"NO!" Gaara protested, yanking at his hair again, stepping backwards slightly.

"**You will do as I command!**"

"Gaara!" Hermione screamed, her shoulders being restrained by Harry and tears slowly sliding down her cheek. "Fight it! Fight it, I know you can!"

"GO AWAY!" Gaara roared, and to everyone's astonishment, the sand began to recede, falling to the ground in large chunks until Gaara was back to normal, at least on the outside. He brought his hands up to his face and sank to his knees, panting in pain.

Before anyone had a chance to see if Gaara was all right, Kakashi collided with the ground a few feet away from them, showering everyone with earth. He slowly got up, grunted, and ran towards Naruto again, performing a rapid series of hand signs for chidori, but before he could complete it, the demon's tail lashed out and wrapped itself around the jounin, squeezing him for a second before hurling him down the hall. Kakashi spun through the air, unable to stop himself until he collided with a tree, splintering it in half.

Ignoring the pain, he pushed himself up and charged towards Naruto again. He dodged the boy's tail, but Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled a large blast of air, sending the poor jounin into the air again. However, this time he was able to flip in the air and land somewhat decently, yet he cried out in the pain. He felt some of his ribs break.

At Kakashi's cry, Gaara glanced up and saw his friend partially taken over by his demon. He ignored the pain and chakra drain he was currently experiencing to push himself off the ground.

He ran towards Naruto and once he was close enough, enveloped the partially transformed Jinchuuriki in a fist of sand with one swift motion of his hand, squeezing the boy tighter with each passing second. Gaara was aiming to make Naruto unconscious so that the demon's influence would subside.

Naruto's demonic eyes glared at Gaara as he struggled to break free. As the sand began to crack and separate due to the orange chakra, Gaara grunted and surrounded the boy with even more sand. Kakashi overcame his pain when he saw his chance and jumped onto the sand fist. He lifted his forehead protector to reveal the Sharingan, in hopes of making eye contact and getting into Naruto's subconscious to stop the demon from breaking the seal.

For a second Naruto gazed at the eye transfixed, then snarled in a mixture of fear and anger and lashed out his chakra tail at Kakashi again, sending him spiraling into a stone pillar at a speed so great the shinobi couldn't prevent the collision. There was a loud explosion as the pillar collapsed as some of the surrounding roof fell on top of the man, completely concealing him underneath the rubble.

Gaara cried in pain as he struggled to contain the boy, his efforts slowly failing. He began vaguely aware of two people besides him, wands raised.

"_Petrificus totalus!_" they chanted in unison. Naruto froze at the impact of the two spells. Because they had cast it at the same time and it was foreign magic, they were able to permeate the wall of chakra that surrounded him.

"_Stupefy!_" they hollered. Naruto blinked for a few seconds before succumbing to the enchantment of the two spells. The Kyuubi was not used to their type of power, but as his container's mind became enveloped in darkness, he vowed to never be influenced by it again.

Once the chakra had dissipated, and Naruto's features returned to normal, Gaara slowly lowered him to the ground, calling back all his sand as he did so. He staggered forward, only to be caught by the two wizards on both sides.

"Thanks," he muttered before collapsing.

There was absolute silence as all the leftover students stared in amazement, unable to perceive what had just happened. They shrieked as the silence was disrupted by the sound of high pitched chirping.

Blue electricity surrounded the pile of rubble Kakashi was buried under, until it was blasted away by his Chidori. Everyone was astonished as they saw him emerge alive, with immense power gathered in his right hand.

Once it faded, the bruised and bloody man stumbled forward through the wreckage, glancing at the seemingly sleeping boy on the ground who was not moving an inch, the Weasley boy who lay slumped against the wall, and then at the two soiled wizards who were supporting an unconscious Gaara.

"Are they all right?" His voice was slurred, his discolored eyes unfocused. The two nodded fearfully. "Good." Then he fell forward, drained of all energy.

"_Arresto momentum!" _Hermione quickly used the spell that Dumbledore had used to save Harry from a deadly fall during the Quidditch match the dementors had infiltrated the previous year.

The copy ninja stopped in midair, barely a foot above the ground as his fingers brushed the floor. Harry rushed forward and slung the man's arm around his shoulders and did his best to hold him up. Suddenly Neville appeared besides him, and they both supported Kakashi.

At the same time Ginny had run forward toward Ron, checking to make sure he was all right. She was immediately followed by her twin brothers, looking grim and worried. Fred gingerly carried Ron in his arms, while George hesitantly walked to Naruto.

Anger boiled up inside of him as he thought about what Naruto had done to his brother, but George hastily reminded himself of how nice the boy was and assured himself that he had obviously not meant to. He was obviously possessed by something and his own sister had done something similar, so it's not like he could blame Naruto too much.

With a flick of his wand the binding hex lifted and he picked up the limp boy. In silence, the group carried the wounded to the infirmary.

* * *

As all the onlookers slowly walked away in disbelief at what had transpired, making sure to not walk anywhere near the scattered rubble, a lone figure with short blond hair fell to his knees in shock.

Malfoy simply could not believe what had happened. He actually found he could not understand _why_ he had done what he did. It was like a blur, and all he could remember was sitting in the common room late last night, wondering how to get back at the freak shows, when suddenly a small little voice urged him with the idea.

_Why not use a boggart on them?_ the voice suggested. _They aren't from around here, so it should frighten them to death. Just imagine the look on their faces. _At first he was a little apprehensive, remembering how the silver-haired freak had said he knew how to kill at age six or whatever, and was scared to think of what would be _his _worst nightmare.

_Then make sure to do it when he's not around. The other two aren't that dangerous, they're still kids. Besides, they treated you horribly, making you feel like a fool in front of everyone like that! They deserve it,_ the voice continued maliciously, causing a wicked grin to appear on Malfoy's face.

_All right, I'm in_. He was amazed at how he was actually able to even_ find_ a boggart. It seemed as if he knew where to go, and only realized it when it actually occurred. Were he not so eager to get back at the two shinobi, Draco would have become suspicious at how well everything played out.

Now that he had time to think about it, he was truly frightened by the voice that had been in his head and felt utterly ashamed at what he had done. True, it was worth it seeing that it had an effect on the two weirdos, but even to him it seemed a bit too cruel. He enjoyed seeing others suffer _(because that meant it wasn't him suffering)_ but that had gone too far.

Malfoy paused for a moment to search for the strange voice and called out for it in his mind. Satisfied that it wasn't there anymore, Draco gave one last glance toward the open door where he had hid the boggart and ran in the other direction, desiring the comfort of his fellow Slytherins as they praised him for such a prank. It would make him feel less uneasy, at any rate.

As the blond ran off, another figure deep within the shadows of the open room chuckled malevolently.

_Such a lucky event that the Lucius brat has such an encouraging mind to imperuse_, he thought to himself. _He was the perfect one to carry this out._ The man was thoroughly pleased with his powerfully altered boggart. Because really, who had ever seen a normal boggart speak or split into different beings? He was counting on the fact that the two shinobi were so different that people would attribute that to the boggart's unordinary behavior.

He was actually intrigued to see what a _normal_ boggart would have shown, but then again, it wouldn't have been as effective. The Dark Lord wished to know the full extent of their power, as well as the reason _why_ they harbored such power.

Who would have thought there were such terrible beasts sealed away inside their bodies?

* * *

INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT EDIT!** Okay, so I've gotten a couple of reviews where people are questioning why Kakashi failed to stop Naruto, and Sasuke was able to. I am not angry, and I realize that these are very important and valid questions. There IS a method to my madness, however, and if you will stick with me, I shall explain.**

**First off, Kakashi is in a very enclosed area, with hundreds of bystanders nearby, all who could potentially killed by Naruto in his possessed state. He is not able to unleash some huge jutsu without putting everyone's life in danger. His best hope was in keeping Naruto away from everyone and try to stop him without doing anything major. Secondly, he sorta didn't know how to handle him, having never interacted with him, and could have been a little nervous about seriously injuring his student. With Sasuke, he didn't care about hurting Naruto; he wanted to kill him.**

**Also, many are questioning how spells are able to work against Naruto, and like I tried to explain, this is all foreign to him, and the first time Kyuubi has had to interact with them. HOWEVER this will be the last time that this will occur, because he understands it now, and will not let it affect him anymore.**

**Does that answer your questions? I hope it does. If not, feel free to PM me about anything! I will not get angry, because it's only natural that people have questions, and I do have a reason behind everything I put in this story, and I have thought it all out long and hard. (This explanation will be posted at the beginning of the next chapter, for those who have already read this and didn't review, just to make sure that they get the message!) Thank you for your time and patience!** /End Edit

**There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it, I sure did! I also hope that the explanation behind how the spells worked on the Kyuubi's cloak seemed plausible, because he truly hadn't ever encountered those spells before, so it would make sense that it would surprise him and not work. **


	11. The First Task

**I'm so glad that all of you enjoyed that last chapter, and your reviews were greatly appreciated: **The Full Moon Crys, MadnessLover, IvanAlive, SongoftheDarquePhoenix, Lupanari, yaoifangrl4ever, Lily Yamamoto, cardcaptor eternity, wednesday1990, Darak (3), Harue Harlequin, sandaime23, Lunatic Pandora1, Kitty-chan and Nya-chan, Ella Clevek, dragongirl92, ArrangedloveMatch, Namikaze naruko14, Dragon Alchemist, Bovi, xXKuroTenshi666Xx, Octavia Andrea Tucker-Harrison, Tainted-reflection-126, Hailey619, Acara Whitefox, yuroshima, NaruXHinata-Rules, Megaolix, greengirl6, Cooltony101neo, r2d2cool, ReaperofDarkness, BlaqueKitsuneTempest, 7Kyuubi7, Ashley, graypheonix, SilverHowler, Sakamoto Michiko, Narutoboyluver, Hitsuka-Hatake, 2stupid, .girl, Flame05, sugarcrazedninja, dragonblack, avatard/narutard, Sakuramar, pamellka, Lily Uzimaki (2), upyoursrasengan, Naruto is the best (2), **and** Zetsu's Other Half!

**The 350th reviewer was **2stupid** and pocky and dango were requested!**

* * *

Chapter 11: The First Task

The walk to the infirmary was a long and arduous one, with most of the people struggling to support the unconscious figures they carried. Many people gave them a wide berth, wondering why in the world they were carrying the newcomers like that. As soon as they saw Kakashi though, many screamed in fright with some almost fainting at his condition, most having never seen that much blood or bruises on another human being before.

"What the devil is going on here?" McGonagall demanded as she shooed students out of her way. She gasped when she laid eyes on the injured people before her.

"Merlin's beard! Quick, we must go to the hospital wing! Ginny, please alert Albus Dumbledore at once! You six come with me, and the rest of you go back to what you were doing!" As Ginny rushed off to the headmaster's room, everyone else did their best to keep up with McGonagall's worried pace.

When they finally arrived, Madam Pomfrey covered her mouth in shock, then composed herself and ordered that they lay them down and began work on Kakashi immediately, tearing off what was left of his shirt to expose the slashed chest underneath, then his Hitai-ate, and then his mask. She was puzzled for a moment when the first one revealed a second one to be under it, but shrugged and yanked the other one off in a frenzy.

As soon as his entire face was revealed, everyone gaped in astonishment.

"Blimey, he looks no older than Bill!" Fred gasped, breaking the silence. They all stood there for a few more seconds, unable to comprehend the fact that he was so young. Their trance was broken by the hospital doors being burst open by a very concerned Dumbledore. Everyone moved out of the way for him to talk to Madame Pomfrey, but to their surprise he asked for all the students to come speak to him. McGonagall stayed to offer some assistance to Poppy, which she took gratefully.

"I want to know everything that happened," he asked gravely, then sat on an open hospital cot while everyone told him exactly what they saw.

* * *

That night, while everyone else in the infirmary was sleeping, Hermione crept in and saw Gaara sitting next to the window, his legs pulled up to him slightly; gazing out into the darkness. Suddenly his ears perked up, and he appeared to hastily rub sleep out of his eyes.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Gaara inquired without even glancing her way.

Hermione bit her lip. "Yeah, well . . . I just wanted to make sure you were all right."

Gaara frowned and turned to her, cocking his head. "You saw me after Madame Pomfrey attended my wounds. She said we were fine."

The girl sighed, taking tentative steps towards the boy. "Sure your cuts and bruises are healed, but—" At this she paused. After a few seconds she finished quickly, "Listen, I've been around mostly boys all my life, and I think I've gotten pretty good at understanding their emotions."

"Oh, you mean like that Ron you have a crush on." Hermione just gaped at him, taken completely off guard; face turning as red as his hair. Gaara almost smirked; she had taken the appearance of a fish out of water.

"N-n—no! Don't change the subject!" Gaara just shrugged.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. It's not like I'm going to tell anyone. Not that I care really."

Hermione furiously brushed her hair behind her ear, not going to be distracted like that. "Something is bothering you, something that always has, and it has to do with what happened with the boggart," she continued softly.

Gaara's eyes widened slightly, but then quickly replaced it with a look of indifference. "What does it matter to you?"

Hermione sat down on the other end of the sill and stared out the window. Finally, after a few moments of silence, she asked quietly, "Was that woman your mother?"

Irritated, Gaara scowled and resisted the ridiculous urge to wrap his arms around his knees. He hadn't felt a need to do that for a long time. "_Obviously_. So?"

She tried again. "Who was that man? Did . . . did your father really try to kill you?"

It looked like Gaara's eyes were tearing up, but then Gaara quickly scratched his nose and then they were dry again. "My uncle. My father realized that I was too unstable and ordered him to kill me, but I stopped him." Hermione was frightened at how cold his voice was. "After that, there were numerous other assassination attempts until my father simply gave up.

"Since then, I've always had to protect myself, kill off others before they killed me, and it was quite easily," he said with a dry laugh. Then he glanced at Naruto, who was peacefully sleeping on the hospital cot.

"I had no one, until he came. Naruto taught me kindness, because he was just as alone as I was, until some friends came along. He knew of the loneliness I had known all my life, and together, we are trying to make the world a better place for people like us."

Hermione gulped, not knowing if her final question would be answered, "Why did you both have people calling you monsters? What happened to you on the grounds?"

Gaara mentally grimaced, knowing that at least someone would ask it. He didn't want to tell her, because he was afraid she would react the way all the others had.

After a few minutes of silence passed, Hermione stood up to leave. "Well, good—"

"Because there are monsters inside of us."

"Huh?"

"When we were born, our villages performed a sealing technique that merged our souls with demons. Naruto's for the safety of his village, and mine for their own benefit," he added with just a hint of sourness in his tone.

"However, the ways they were done vary slightly. The Kyuubi was sealed into Naruto in a way that he would not be influenced by the demon fox unless he was close to death, called upon the chakra himself, or, as it seems, when he experiences strong emotions." Gaara sighed and began inspecting the glass to avoid eye contact.

"With me . . . Shukaku is almost a part of me. When I was younger, I was unable to resist his thirst for blood. He talked to me constantly, ordered me to kill random people to quench his thirst for blood. When I was just a few years old, it was so confusing to hear his voice inside my head, and I would periodically fulfill his demands just to shut him up. He doesn't do it as much now because I am more skilled in subduing and ignoring him." The redhead sadly glanced at Hermione, who looked at him in horror, but to his relief, it was out of concern.

"How could they do that?" she squealed. "Is there any way you can get rid of it?"

"Yeah, but it means we die as well. Not that you'd want it to escape, anyway. If these demons were let loose, they could destroy everything. In a way, we are saving everyone's pathetic life." He sighed tiredly. "Naruto and I will live out our lives, and hopefully we will die peacefully, bringing our demons along with us."

Hermione felt her heart break. Naruto and Gaara's lives were so full of sorrow and bitterness! How could they keep on living like that? They were so young and had gone through so much; she still hadn't gotten over how young their sensei was. After seeing the way he interacted with everyone, she had decided he was in his late thirties at least, but to learn he was around mid-twenties was a shock to say the least! It just wasn't—

"Hermione!" Gaara's voice interrupted his thoughts. She turned to look at him and he had gained complete control of his emotions, as if he never had any in the first place.

"Your friend Harry is competing tomorrow. You should help prepare him," he stated matter-of-factly, and she took it as a dismissal. She bit her lip, then relented.

When she came to the door, she stopped, then looked at each of the injured people in turn. Gaara was still at the windowsill, Kakashi had the sheets pulled around him _(which she guessed were for privacy),_ Naruto was sleeping soundly, albeit a little worn out next to his sensei, and Ron was the closest to the door. Hermione cast a nervous glance at Gaara and walked over to Ron.

A white bandage was wrapped around his head, but other than that he appeared fine, as his snores appeared to tell. She smiled weakly and wiped her eyes, recalling all too vividly the image of him being thrown against the wall by that strange orange chakra surrounding Naruto. As a last comfort, she grasped his hand tightly, then kissed him lightly on the forehead.

After a final glance at Gaara _(who still wasn't looking in her direction),_ Hermione left the hospital wing, knowing full well she would find Harry wide awake in the common room, dreading the next day's event.

She sighed weakly,_ What would they ever do without me?_

* * *

The next morning students were excited and cheery, both for the match as well as what had transpired last afternoon. It was all over the school by now, with some of the tale slightly exaggerated. As expected, the Slytherins were praising Malfoy for what he had done, and the rest either hated him for it, or didn't care.

Harry, on the other hand, found himself more and more terrified about the dragon encounter, but he still was worried for Ron's condition. He didn't have the courage to go to the hospital wing like Hermione did, but she came back last night and said everyone was all right. They practiced with the Summoning spell a little more, but thanks to Gaara with that . . . incident earlier, he didn't need that much more practice. He only had problems with objects that were farther away.

However, as he paced around the tent, looking as green as the other champions had, Harry didn't find himself as nervous as he originally thought he would. After seeing the things Gaara and Naruto had to deal with, a dragon didn't seem quite as dangerous.

The wizard had felt detached from the world as he and the other champions learned they had to catch the golden egg, stay away from the dragon, and then chose their own miniature dragon from a bag. Harry had a sickening feeling that the Hungarian Horntail he had chosen was the nastiest of them all. Plus the commentary on each champion's actions did not calm him down in the least bit. He found himself silently wishing that he had been first, and not last.

Finally, the whistle blew, and Harry walked in a sort of daze to the stadium, wondering why he wanted to do this in the first place.

When he entered the stadium, all he could do was stare for a second. Off to his left were hundreds of onlookers, with the Horntail off to the far right, the golden egg near her feet. He stepped forward a little more so he was in better view of everyone, trying to recall what he was supposed to do, his mind completely blank.

"Good luck, Harry," a familiar voice said to his direct right. Startled, he glanced up and noticed Naruto and Gaara standing on the ledge, both with their arms folded, and both with the same exact, emotionless expression. Naruto wore his orange outfit as well as a couple bandages, while Gaara also wore the clothes he came in, with his robes on top, blowing in the wind. Harry figured it was because he had all his sand in it.

He was so focused on the shinobi that he almost was burnt to a crisp by one of the fireballs directed in his path. He felt the infernal heat seconds before it hit and jumped out of the way to a chorus of people gasping in relief.

"Come _on_, Harry!" He glanced up at the stands, heart racing, and discovered the voice belonged to none other than Ron. His friend appeared slightly disoriented, but there was evident concern in his eyes. He was surrounded by his family as well as Hermione, who frantically shook her wand at him, trying to tell him something. Seeing that his friend was up and moving gave Harry the strength to face the dragon, and he overcame his initial fear and remembered what he was supposed to do.

"_Accio Firebolt!_" he declared as loudly as possible. After waiting for what seemed to be an eternity, the familiar whizzing of his broom came at him, and suddenly Harry was so focused he did not hear the cheers of the crowd or Bagman's commentary.

After a couple minutes of dodging fireballs and attempting to disorient the Horntail, she yanked her chain off, roared loudly, and then took off towards him. At first, Gaara grabbed her neck with his sand to try and hold her down, but she responded by flicking her tail in his direction and it was only thanks to Naruto grasping him by the waist and jumping to safety that the boy did not come to a possible untimely death.

Now freed, the Horntail proceeded to chase Harry. Seized by uncontrollable fear_ (for this was _not_ in his original calculations)_ Harry took off towards the castle, trying to get out of the Horntail's reach.

Gaara and Naruto were shocked, to say the least, at the sight of the dragon breaking free and tearing after Harry.

"What do we do?" Naruto asked concernedly, helping his friend to his feet.

"Follow them," Gaara said simply, gathering all the sand that had been previously used to restrain the Horntail in a levitating disc large enough for the two shinobi to jump on. He grunted with the strain and took off after them, much to Naruto's delight. Having never flown like this before, it was definitely a treat.

When they arrived close to the battlefield, all they could do was watch as Harry did quite an amazing job of holding up his own against the beast. At one point he appeared to be in dire trouble, and the shinobi struggled to figure out what they should do, because they had been strictly instructed to only interfere with cause of almost death, but they weren't told how to handle a situation with the dragon actually _escaping!_ They were also just filling in for Kakashi, who still lay comatose in the hospital wing.

Finally, Harry outsmarted the beast and sped off towards the stadium after it crashed with the ground to its death, leaving a trail of smoke behind him from a small fire on his Firebolt. Seeing that Gaara was busy just keeping them afloat, Naruto took a deep breath and performed a small water jutsu to extinguish the flame on Harry's broomstick. He figured they were far enough away and it didn't seem like cheating.

The 4th champion arrived at the stadium to thunderous applause. He swooped down to catch the golden egg before landing rather roughly on the floor, where he was immediately snatched by Madame Pomfrey who tended to his burns.

Gaara and Naruto landed a little rougher, with Gaara's control giving out at the last second. He still hadn't fully recovered from the chakra drain of yesterday, and neither had Naruto. They lay there panting for a few minutes, watching the crowd go wild with Harry's score.

The two shinobi glanced over and saw Ron approach Harry, and Naruto smiled fondly for the first time since the boggart incident, glad that he did not injure the Weasley boy too much.

"Let's—go, Naruto," Gaara panted. The blond nodded and they disappeared with a gust of wind, turning into sand with Gaara's transportation jutsu.

* * *

"Harry!" The wizard glanced up and grinned, seeing Hermione and Ron running towards him.

Madame Pomfrey sighed and cleared him to go. He thanked her and jumped off the cot to met his friends at the entrance to the tent.

There was an awkward silence as Harry and Ron stared at each other.

"Harry, I—"

"It's all my fault—"

"Nah, it's all mine mate." They regarded each other for a moment, then burst into grins, while Hermione burst into tears.

"There's nothing to cry about!" Harry told her, bewildered.

"You two are so _stupid!_" she protested. "First you go and get yourself thrown against a wall so hard you're knocked unconscious," she yelled at Ron, "and then _you_ go get yourself chased by a blood-thirsty dragon!" she yelled at Harry. There was silence as she stared at them angrily. "What am I going to do with you?" she finally cried before storming off.

". . . Barking mad," Ron muttered as they watched her in silence.

"Well, you did worry us a lot Ron. That was pretty stupid," Harry admitted.

The Weasley smirked. "What, and this wasn't?" he exclaimed as he gestured to the arena. "Besides, I couldn't let you always be the gallant one! Not all of us can fight dragons," he protested, then glanced around. "Where did Naruto and Gaara go? They left the hospital wing before I did, and Kakashi was being looked after by Madame Pomfrey so she shooed me out. Are they all right? What happened after I was knocked out?"

Harry waited to explain after he received his score, where Ron commented on them emphatically, trying to make up for what happened between them earlier. Truth be told, Harry was just happy they were friends again.

"You've got to be joking me!" Ron exclaimed after Harry told him the story. He shook his head wearily. "Blimey," the Weasley whistled, looking up at the sky. "No wonder everyone's talking about it. They must have taken off pretty quick, if you ask me. Do you suppose they're all right?"

Harry shrugged. "They sure didn't look happy to me," he admitted.

"Man, I'd really like to know why that happened to them," Ron wondered aloud as they caught up with Hermione.

* * *

Later on that night, Harry went to the hospital wing to see how Kakashi was doing. He figured the man was still injured since Naruto and Gaara were there acting in his stead. He really hoped the jounin was okay though; he had really started to take a liking to him. Kakashi reminded him of Sirius in a way; mysterious and liked danger. _They should really meet one day_, he thought dryly.

Sneaking through the door and keeping an eye out for Madame Pomphrey, Harry crept to the back where he knew the shinobi was kept. When he came to Kakashi's bedside however, he noticed he wasn't the only one there.

"Naruto?" he asked quietly, taking off his Invisibility cloak slowly.

The blond just mumbled. Sensing something was wrong, Harry quickly sat next to Naruto on the cot, staring at Kakashi. Harry paled slightly at the sight of the injured man. Although he looked better than he had yesterday, he was still in obvious pain. Both the headband and mask were still removed, only now there was a breathing aspirator over his mouth to help him breath, which just made him look younger and more vulnerable.

"Where's Gaara?" he asked, trying to break the silence.

"On the roof," Naruto replied, as if it were something to be expected.

There was silence for a few more minutes; the two of them just staring at the even breathing of their unconscious friend.

"I finally get to see him without his mask," Naruto chuckled softly, unable to stop the tremor in his voice. Harry bit his lip, unsure of what to do.

Naruto sighed. "No matter what, because of who I am, the people close to me get hurt." Harry's eyes widened at what he said, finding those words to be rather familiar.

"What . . . why did that happen yesterday?" Harry asked in spite of himself.

"Do you remember what happened once I jumped in front of Gaara?" Naruto asked after a brief silence. Harry nodded.

"Well . . ." Naruto began, "The girl was my friend and her name is Sakura, as well as the boy, Sasuke. He's the one I'm trying to save from turning into that snake bastard, Orochimaru."

Harry shuddered, remembering the sight and feeling he got from the man whose neck had inhuman capabilities. "But, what was the strange fox with all the tails?"

"He's inside of me," Naruto admitted so softly Harry almost missed it.

"I-In—inside of you?" Harry didn't see how this was possible.

"Yep, the Kyuubi or Nine-Tailed Fox. He is one of the nine demons, the most powerful in fact. Thirteen years ago, he attacked our village. In order to save it, the 4th Hokage sealed him within a baby who had just been born . . . me." At Harry's shocked expression, he said quickly, "It's not like I'm mad or anything, it was for the sake of my village, and it's proven helpful in more than one occasion. I can't really do anything about it anyway, so I've learned to accept him."

"Well . . . if he's so powerful, can't he just come out whenever he wants?"

"No, there's a strong seal that keeps him inside. There are only some occasions where part of his chakra, the orange stuff I was surrounded by, comes out. It could completely overcome me if I let it."

There was silence after that, with Harry not really knowing how to continue. He couldn't imagine how horrible it would be to have something so evil inside of you, something you never wanted in the first place and were afraid of having it consume you. He was just glad it wasn't him.

"Well, I have a feeling that the twins are going to have some sort of celebration in the common room, with all this food they've nicked from the kitchens. You want to come?" he asked eagerly, knowing he could get the shinobi with the promise of food.

Naruto shook his head slowly. "No, you go have fun. I think I'll stay here a while." Then he turned his attention back to Kakashi and sighed.

Harry was amazed at the decline of a party from Naruto. _He must really feel sad_, he observed. _I'm scared of what Hermione will say when she notices they're not coming._

As he reluctantly left the hospital wing, he could make out a faint, "Good job today," and walked away, unable to stop a small grin from spreading on his face.

When he entered the common room, there was a burst of applause, and like he imagined, there was a large party.

"Is our little friend going to join us later this evening?" George asked pleasantly as they passed out treats.

"Nah, I think he's a little tired, having to watch dragons all day and all," Harry said quickly.

"You hear that, George? I think our little mischief-maker-in-training doesn't know not to miss out on a decent party!" Fred noted indignantly.

"You're right, Fred! That simply must be the next step in our training, or else we could never look ourselves in the mirror again?" George replied in mock horror.

"Or each other," Fred added, warranting a laugh from all those around them.

Hermione, however, was not to be fooled. "Are you sure they're all right?" she whispered once she and Harry had a bit of privacy.

Harry sighed. "They're just down in the dumps, Hermione. Don't go to them!" he protested at the look on her face. "Believe me, I know how they feel, and right now I think trying to talk to them could do more damage than good. Just . . . just give them some space."

The girl bit her lip and pouted slightly, knowing Harry was right. She sighed angrily then chased after the twins, who were trying to sell Canary Creams for seven Sickles apiece.

* * *

**You like it? I'll have to apologize, but I just had to go with the movie's interpretation of the task because I really liked how the Horntail followed him. Sorry it wasn't as chock-full of action like the last, but whatever. -shrug- I tried.**

**And man...that scene between Harry and Naruto? Oh the irony! XD I had fun writing that.  
**

**EXPLANATIONS:**

**If you think Gaara was a little too OOC with Hermione:**** The last time Gaara saw Yashamaru, it changed him from the innocent six-year-old he was into the merciless monster that he became for the next six years. It was quite an emotional occurrence, and being faced with that same person again had to be traumatic, especially because he truly believed him to be the real Yashamaru. Something like that is bound to have some sort of effect on him.**

**If you think that Kakashi isn't recovering fast enough, seeing as how he didn't use his Sharingan:**** Wizard and shinobi medical practices and customs are quite different. Madame Pomfrey has only had to really deal with everyday injuries and not the critical or life-threatening ones that shinobi deal with on a daily basis. Plus, the shinobi method with healing chakra is more suited to heal shinobi chakra while magic is more suited to heal wizard magic.  
**


	12. Friendships and Rivalries

**And now, for the reviewers, who are absolutely fabulous in EVERY way! Thanks to **MadnessLover, Namikaze naruko14, actionliker, ArrangedloverMatch (2), yaoifangrl4ever, yuroshima, r2d2cool, ZaBuchar, corey, Acara Whitefox, Nick Nagisa, Bovi, Draoheart0000, kichithewolf, Sakamoto Michiko, Cooltony101neo, Akemi Clevek, Byakugan789, graypheonix, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, Lupanari, Kitty-chan and Nya-chan, envygreedgreenthunder, Lunatic Pandora1, Hailey619, HughsHanajimaHilariaHypocrite, naruto is the best, xX Naru Fantasy Xx, Megaolix, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, avatard/narutard, SilverHowler, Raptoronline, UzumakiToba, narutotaisho007, LuffysAngel, WithinThePoetsShadow, Harmony909, NaruXHinata-Rules, Inner Cameron, 122, candyman123, Rome28, .Weasel, cardcaptor eternity, ProfChaos, Shahar Mystral, Lily Uzimaki, Spirit HellFire, purplepuppyluver, sugarcrazedninja, pamellka, Folltosa, Ereneviana, Flame05, Okami'sTot, Ninja-Fuckin-Steve, juunigatsu4ame, Peter Rabid (3), Shroud of Twilight, BattousaiGrl, HiraHayami, Zetsu's Other Half, Pawz4thought, ilovegaara-sama, Katon Ryuuka, whiteinu1, My Solitude, **and** StarDancer1234**!**

**The 400th reviewer was **Utena-Puchiko-nyu** and she asked for lemon ice cream!**

* * *

Chapter 12: Friendships and Rivalries

The next two days people were congratulating Harry on his excellent performance against the Horntail, which he eagerly appreciated because it was a much better change than having everyone hate him for being a champion and thinking he did it for more glory. The Slytherins still flashed their badges at him whenever they could, since Gaara and Naruto hadn't shown up at all, but it's not like he expected them to turn chummy.

Even Ron got some admiration at how he tried to help Naruto and fought against the boggart, now that he was out of the infirmary.

"Well, I could see that he wasn't going to move out of the way," Ron explained to some starry-eyed first year girls in the common room, "and Naruto's one of my buddies, so I had to do something. I just gathered up my courage and stood in front of him, ordered the boggart to stand down—and it wasn't the prettiest sight mind you, the freak's neck was moving around in the air like a snake and he had the most evil looking eyes I've ever seen—"

Harry turned away and smirked, itching to come up with a retort, but he didn't want to ruin their renewed friendship. If anything, the experience taught him how hard it was for Ron to "be in his shadow" so he figured his best friend should be allowed to enjoy the attention.

Just as he was about to ask Hermione for help on their Potions homework, Ginny burst into the common room, slightly out of breath but nonetheless excited.

"Kakashi's woken up!" she announced.

Eager for an excuse to delay his Potions homework as much as possible, Harry leapt off the chair, closely followed by Hermione.

Ron looked happy as well, and faced the small group of girls. "If you'll excuse me ladies, I'll be right—"

"Oh come on!" Hermione groaned, yanking his arm and pulling him through the Fat Lady's portrait. The four of them ran through the halls, careful to not run into Filch, and reached the hospital wing in record time.

When they entered, Kakashi was already trying to stand up, fully dressed in his newly repaired clothes and mask, doing his best to resist Madam Pomfrey's orders.

"Absolutely not!" she said firmly. "You may be awake but you will need to rest for at least another day, young man!" The four wizards smirked at Kakashi's astonished expression, most likely due to the fact that he had just been referred to as a "young man."

"Good," she said proudly, evidently taking his shock to mean he was willing to listen. "Now don't make me use my wand!" Once she was sure he would not try and escape again, she spun around to face the four wizards.

"I'll have you know that you can't—" she began.

"Oh, we would just like to speak with him for a few minutes, Madam Pomfrey," Hermione pleaded.

"We promise to make sure he doesn't leave," Harry added with a smirk, aware of Kakashi's annoyed glare resting on him.

She paused for a moment and relented. "All right, but only five minutes."

"I thought you were going to bust me out of here," Kakashi grumbled as they came to his bedside.

"Nice to see you, too," Ron teased.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked, the image of him broken and bleeding standing out too clearly in his mind from a few days ago.

Kakashi shrugged. "The same I always feel; sore, tired, and with a complete fear of staying in a hospital bed too long." While the others laughed, Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Hermione, who looked ready to play the part of a scolding mother.

"How many times have you been in a hospital, Kakashi?" she asked, her tone indicating she already knew the answer and didn't like it.

The jounin paused for a moment and sighed. "Far too many times to count, and even more than I would like, but from what I've heard, you three have become somewhat frequent visitors yourselves, especially Harry," he added, trying to change the subject. Unable to come up with a retort, Hermione simply sighed and folded her arms in frustration.

"How did the match go, Harry?" Kakashi asked, focusing on the boy trying to hide his smirk at Hermione's expense.

"Wha—oh, yeah, I did okay," he answered lamely.

"Okay? You used your broomstick and had the bloody thing chasing after you around the school and lived to tell the tale!" Ron exclaimed incredulously. "Not only that, but it was also the Hungarian Horntail!"

Kakashi was instantly alarmed at this. "_You_ got the Hungarian Horntail? Didn't Charlie say that was the worst one of the group?" At Harry's embarrassed nod, Kakashi shook his head in amazement. "I sure hope that's the last of your worries."

"Are you sure you're okay, Kakashi?" Ginny inquired, still evidently concerned for his health.

He waved her off kindly. "Quite well actually, I can assuredly tell you that I've had much worse," the jounin answered darkly, remembering all too well the encounter he had with Itachi not too long ago. The lingering memory still left him with horrible nightmares, causing him to wake up covered with sweat and a terrible tremor every so often.

"Where's Naruto and Gaara? They haven't been at school, so we figured they would be here . . . " Ron trailed off, glancing around the infirmary as if expecting them to pop up any second.

"I have no idea," Kakashi admitted truthfully. "My best guess is that they are training in the forest, or _Forbidden Forest_, as it seems to be named," _(he ignored Ron's involuntary shudder)_ "though I expect them to arrive soon, if they have detected my chakra signature properly—"

As if on cue, there was a swirl of sand two beds to their right, and the five of them shielded their eyes and waited until it all settled to reveal two eager shinobi, both slightly out of breath and their clothes soiled, proving the jounin's theory of training to be true.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed joyfully, while Gaara merely gave a small grin in relief. "We were wondering if you would ever wake up!"

"Spoken from the one who slept for three days straight after training with Jiraiya," Kakashi retorted with a gleam in his eye. Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his neck before facing the wizards.

"How was school?" he asked sheepishly. They all shrugged.

"Potions wasn't as fun without watching Snape try to decide if he should be disgusted or afraid of you," Harry admitted with a chuckle, referring to how Naruto's knack of having most everything he created explode whenever Snape happened to pass by. It was only by the grace of Gaara's sand encasing the cauldron at the last second that the poor Potions teacher did not get blown to bits. After a few episodes of that, Snape seemed confused as to how much he should loathe the boy, because his cheery attitude was hard to abate.

"Why weren't you guys at school, anyway? Didn't—" Ron began.

"—I think we should allow them some privacy with Kakashi and go back to finishing up our homework," Hermione cut in a little too quickly, shushing Ron and giving him a glare for lack of tact.

Kakashi sighed when they left and lay against the pillow in a disgruntled fashion. "Did I ever tell you how much I hate hospitals?" When he was met with silence, he sat back up in alarm, clearly expecting some type of response from Naruto about Tsunade or Sakura, but noticed his student staring guiltily at the bedside, apparently in a trance.

"Naruto?" he whispered softly, snapping the boy out of it.

"Wha—oh! I . . . uh—um . . ." At this he slumped down into the bed behind him and sighed. "I'm really sorry, Kakashi-sensei," he muttered after a few moments of silence.

"For what, Naruto?" Kakashi asked in concern, already knowing what the answer was. It was now that Gaara decided that he was very thirsty and excused himself silently for a glass of water.

"Because of me you ended up in the hospital, were injured, and part of the school is destroyed," he answered feebly, not meeting the jounin's eye.

"You can't say it's your fault, Naruto," his teacher said sternly. "You had no idea what you were dealing with and having the Kyuubi inside of you was not your choice. Everyone knows you didn't mean to do it. Besides, I've had worse, and I'm positive that the wizards have already patched everything up good as new."

"But I still feel—"

"Never mind that," Kakashi continued. "You can't keep blaming yourself for things that are beyond your control. I regret that it was in such an enclosed area, or I would have been able to use a stronger jutsu to subdue you, but there were too many students and I didn't want to take the risk. Just be grateful that it went over well."

The blond brightened up considerably and faced his teacher with a small grin. "I wonder how everyone else will take it." It was now that Gaara had decided that it was safe to return, and brought with him three glasses of water, which the other two took gratefully.

"We won't know until we face them," Gaara said. "Although I feel like delaying it as long as possible."

Kakashi was silent for a while, knowing how devastated the two Jinchuuriki were, and how hard it was to find friends—_true_ friends who would know the faults and secrets but still care for them anyway. And it's not like everyone had the same secret these two boys had.

"I won't force you to go and interact with anyone until I get dismissed from this infernal place," he informed them, quietly though, because Madam Pomfrey was almost within earshot. The two sighed in relief.

"Who'd you get the flowers from, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto teased, pointing to the small vase of yellow flowers on the little table.

"The Weasley girl—Ginny, I think is her name. Very nice. She was putting them there when I awoke, and I think I gave her quite a scare," he chuckled as he recalled the event. "How about you go continue your training," he suggested in a way that was basically an order. The two nodded and disappeared, leaving Kakashi stuck in the hospital wing with a very annoyed nurse, who was mumbling about getting sand into everything.

* * *

The next day Kakashi was freed from the hospital, and he soon joined up with the two shinobi where they were practicing.

"You all better now?" Naruto asked in confirmation. Kakashi nodded as he stretched his back. The two Jinchuuriki looked slightly crestfallen at this.

"So, that means we need to go back to classes," Gaara said slowly.

The jounin sighed wearily. "I know how you must feel but you can't stay out here forever. You can't run away from your problems," he added softly. The two genin glanced at each other nervously, knowing that Kakashi was right but not wanting to follow through.

"How about you still take today off but come to the taijutsu class later on, and we'll see how everything goes," the jounin suggested after a few minutes of silence. _I pray there will still be some people willing to come!_

"Anyway," he continued, cracking his knuckles, "let's make sure we're ready and that hospital stay didn't slow me down!" Naruto and Gaara exhaled gratefully and spent the next few hours training hard, the effort erasing all their troubles, at least until 4:00.

Five minutes before, the three shinobi stared at the crowd through the high branches of a nearby tree, two of whom were in shock. Truth be told, there was a significant amount of people missing; that was to be expected. What surprised them was how many _did _show. Granted, there wasn't a single Slytherin in sight, but there was a fair amount of Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and Hufflepuffs, with Gryffindors being the most numerous. Neville was there, as well as Seamus, Dean, the Weasley twins, Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and many others.

Kakashi silently thanked the gods about the turnout. Before he went to the forest, he had posted signs up around the school that the taijutsu classes were back in session after the short break, and was worried if anyone was going to show up. Naruto and Gaara couldn't hide from the other students forever, and had to face up to the challenge sooner or later, a lesson Kakashi had learned himself when he was young. All he could do was hope that it wasn't painful.

When it was time to begin, the shinobi jumped down from the tree they had been hiding in. After they had appeared, all the wizards clapped enthusiastically, much to their surprise.

Fred and George stepped forward, arms folded with a signature grin on their face.

"Thought you'd never show up, mates," the eldest began.

"Be a downright shame if you didn't," the other added.

"None of us think of you any differently," Neville spoke up quietly, after a slight pause.

"Yeah, we're all pretty much used to this kind of stuff anyway," Ron announced, nudging Harry in the ribs playfully, who smirked in return. All the wizards watched the two younger shinobi stare back at them in pure shock. Hermione felt a pang of sorrow as she realized that they were probably used to being disregarded and didn't know what to do.

"Oi!" Angelina called, cupping her hand over her mouth. "Are you gonna stand there with your mouths hangin' open, or are you going to teach us?" This declaration was met with nods and murmurs of agreement from the crowd, causing all the shinobi to smile fondly; even Gaara, though it was rather small.

"Well then," Kakashi began, tugging on his gloves. "Looks like we've got some catching up to do. Let's begin!"

* * *

"So, you really don't care about—about what happened?" Naruto asked timidly as they sat around the common room.

"For the last time, Naruto," Harry explained, slightly annoyed. "It doesn't matter to us! You could have turned into anything and we wouldn't have cared." Once the taijutsu class was over, everyone surrounded the shinobi and assured them that there was nothing wrong with what transpired a few days ago. On their way to dinner a few Slytherins thought it wise to make a smart joke, but were hit with so many curses that they were sent to the hospital wing, barely recognizable. Kakashi had excused himself at that point, muttering something about "making sure they didn't remember" or something like that.

Now it was just the three shinobi, Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the common room, awake despite the late hour.

"Good," Naruto said, finally satisfied and back to his cheery self. "I wonder where Malfoy is," he added darkly. "I haven't had the chance to properly thank him yet."

"I heard he spent the whole day hiding in his bedroom!" Ron exclaimed. "What I wouldn't give to see that git cowering in fear!" He then proceeded to do an impressive imitation of a frightened Malfoy, much to everyone's enjoyment.

"I know what he did was horrible," Hermione warned once the laughter died down, "but it would be unwise to do anything against Malfoy. Remember what happened last time?" _(The four boys smirked at the memory of Malfoy cowering outside the dungeons)_ "The worst you got was a detention, but who knows what could happen next! His father is a very influential wizard, and he could have you turned over to the Ministry for examination if he wants to!"

"Calm down, Hermione," Ron groaned. "These two have got him so scared of what they can do I'd be surprised is he didn't wet himself then and there when they started transforming!"

"Very funny, Ronald," Hermione growled over the laughter of the other occupants of the room.

"Careful, she's using your full name Ron—she means business," Harry retorted seriously, resulting in another eruption of laughter. The bushy haired girl huffed in anger before snatching up her books and briskly walking up the stairs to her room.

"I think Hermione is the one with the smart idea," Kakashi scolded them, suddenly appearing at their side. "It's time you three go to bed." It wasn't a suggestion.

They groaned in defeat and gathered up their things to retire to bed themselves, trying their best to stifle a yawn.

"Pleasant dreams, _Ronald_," Naruto teased as they broke off to their separate rooms, easily jumping out of the way of a half-hearted punch from Ron.

"Just think of what Hermione would do if she knew your _middle_ _name_," Harry whispered as they changed for bed, unable to dodge the pillow thrown his way.

* * *

The next day was calm and peaceful. The sun was shining brightly and everyone seemed to be in a good mood in accordance with the weather. It was now study hall, and most of the students were on the school grounds, soaking in the pleasant rays and having a hard time focusing on schoolwork.

Naruto and Gaara were sitting in the grass along with fellow Gryffindors. The only one really trying to work on homework was Hermione, while the rest listened to the Weasley twins' plans for upcoming products.

As the blond genin giggled at the thought of presenting Sakura with a love potion, he spotted Malfoy in the distance, huddled near a tree with his fellow Slytherins on one of the few benches, whispering silently to one another.

He sneered angrily as he stood up and began to make his way over there. He never got his revenge for what he did to him and Gaara with that boggart, and he didn't care what Hermione said. Harry glanced up, realized his intentions and got up frantically, holding him back.

"Even I agree with Hermione that I wouldn't think of doing anything to him if I were you," he scolded, fearing more for what would happen to Naruto if he killed Malfoy than for Malfoy himself.

Naruto wrenched out of Harry's grip, slightly pulling up his sleeves. "I'll Rasengan the hell out of him!" Gaara looked up in alarm, knowing all too well the pathetic wizard wouldn't stand a chance against that powerful jutsu.

"Naruto!" Gaara wrapped his sand around Naruto to hold him back. "I want him hurt too, but you can't kill him." By now they had started attracting the attention of some of the Gryffindors.

The blond snorted and said sarcastically, "Oh, like you're one to talk!" Gaara found he agreed with Naruto, but stayed firm.

"It doesn't matter Naruto, you're not like that. Maybe—" He ceased talking at the look on Naruto's face. It was the most wicked and mischievous look he had ever seen on a person's face in his entire life.

"Ne, Gaara," Naruto said softly, unable to contain his glee. "Would it be all right to do _this_?" He leaned towards Gaara and whispered something, causing Gaara to widen his eyes in shock, and then let out something that sounded suspiciously like a snort.

The Gryffindors who weren't looking at the pair now had their complete and undivided attention on the two shinobi at the sound of Gaara's amusement. Gaara immediately stopped while his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. It had only lasted a few seconds, but the damage was already done.

"That is a suitable idea," he coughed, in a futile attempt to regain his composure. Now everyone was curious. What could he possibly do to Malfoy that would make _Gaara_ act like that?

So, a large crowd of Gryffindors accompanied Naruto on his short journey to Draco, who shrunk at the sight of him. No matter how tough he made himself out to be, Malfoy knew Naruto could really do some damage.

"Oi! I never got to thank you," Naruto began threateningly while Draco gulped. His fellow Slytherins were inching farther and farther away.

"Yeah?" Instead of coming out brave like Malfoy intended, it sounded more like a squeak, provoking laughter from the Gryffindors.

"I just thought I'd show you my _Ultimate_ Jutsu." As Naruto cracked his fingers those around him backed away to give him space.

At this point, Kakashi took note of the crowd of people out of the corner of his eye and decided to investigate. He was perched in a tree, keeping watch over Harry while he studied with his friends, and had been previously reading his favorite book, taking a break from having previously pouring over as many books from the library that he could. He gracefully jumped to another tree where he had a full view of the crowd with no one noticing, but realized with a sense of dread that Naruto was in the middle.

_What is he doing now?_ he thought with a sigh. However, upon closer inspection, he discovered that he was facing Malfoy, and immediately inferred the reason. _This should be interesting_, he smirked. Because of what that brat did, he had ended up in the hospital for a few days and his favorite clothes had to be repaired. He was going to enjoy this.

Just so long as Naruto kept it under control.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Suddenly two other Narutos appeared, and they formed a semi-circle around Draco. At this point Kakashi became wary, especially because Naruto always used a bunshin to complete his Rasengan. But why was the other there?

All three Narutos snickered, held their hands in a rat sign, and yelled, "_Henge!_"

Suddenly, once the smoke disappeared, there were three, sexy, naked blonds where Naruto used to be.

"_Why did you do that to us, Draco-kun?_" they seductively asked in unison.

Everyone's mouth dropped. Harry couldn't believe his eyes! Naruto had transformed himself into a tall, skinny blond with long pigtails, and clouds that were quite conveniently placed around her naked person. He smirked when he saw that Naruto still had those marks on his face even when transformed, but they seemed to fit the girl.

Malfoy's mouth practically hit the floor, and his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets. He started to gag on nothing in particular and began to twitch, bringing all the onlookers out of their stupefied state to fall to the floor laughing.

"_Why?_" they asked again, which was too much for Malfoy. He fell backwards over the bench and collapsed on the ground, his legs slightly twitching.

His mission completed, Naruto smirked and released both jutsu, turning back into his regular self, hands cradling the back of his neck. Turning to face all the people shaking with laughter, his threw his hands up into the air dramatically and proclaimed,

"I call that my Sexy Jutsu!" If it were possible, people laughed even harder, some wiping away tears in their eyes.

"Man," Ron gasped in between bouts of laughter. "I thought . . . I thought that Malfoy being the bouncing white ferret was bad enough! That was bloody brilliant!" Everyone nodded their agreement, and some began giving the shinobi high fives and cheering his name.

At this point Malfoy sat up with help from Pansy Parkinson, and to everyone's amazement he was trying to quell a small nosebleed.

"That, my friends," Naruto sighed dramatically, "is the mark of a pervert." Those who had finally been able to control themselves erupted in laughter again, and the Slytherins scampered off, unable to do anything.

Thankfully, for Gaara, everyone was too engrossed in their own amazement they didn't notice the Suna shinobi shaking with mirth. He had both hands tightly clamped over his mouth to try and stop the erratic hiccups of his laughter. He knew he sounded more like a dying dog, but he hadn't really had that much experience with laughing.

The first time he could remember "laughing" was a few weeks after they returned from Konoha. Kankuro came storming downstairs, yelling at Temari for putting makeup on him while he took a nap. He resembled a clown _(more than he usually did, anyway)_ and coupled with his angry expression he looked absolutely ridiculous, so much that Gaara burst out laughing. It came out like a bark and in ragged gasps, scaring him to death. Temari and Kankuro just stared at him while he covered his mouth, absolute terror on each of their faces.

But _then_ Kankuro looked so scared it was like he had just wet his pants, which invoked even more snorts from Gaara, despite his efforts to stop this strange reaction, so he finally gave up and continued until he was done. After a while his siblings realized just what he was doing and that he was _not_ having a mental breakdown, and soon joined in, with all panting furiously afterward from laughing so much.

As for now, Gaara attributed this extremely rare occurrence to the fact that he had never interacted with this many people with this many emotions in his life before. It appeared that they were starting to affect him, and the Jinchuuriki wasn't sure if it was for the better or not. After struggling for a few more seconds, he finally diminished his laughter and waited for the rest to follow suit, praying that no one noticed.

Kakashi simply stared, almost falling out of the tree. So, _that_ was his infamous jutsu, he thought with a smirk. He had heard about it from the 3rd, Iruka, and Jiraiya, but he had never actually seen it. Now he understood why it was so powerful. _Malfoy didn't stand a chance_, he noted with deep satisfaction. He would have to congratulate Naruto on this later.

"You are the most amazing person ever!" Fred yelled, pointed at Naruto.

"Party later in the common room," George winked.

"And this time—" Fred began as he and George slung an arm over the beaming blond.

"—we'll make sure you come," George finished.

* * *

**I apologize for the bit of fluffiness and emo-ness that took place in this chapter but you know this was a pretty depressing event and the shinobi need to understand that people do care about them. Plus, that little bit of revenge at the end with Draco made up for it, right?**

**If you can't remember, Ron's middle name is** Bilius**, revealed to us in the 7th book. (If it's earlier, I apologize)**

**Hope I didn't overdo myself with having Gaara "laugh." It wasn't that much, but you've got to think of the repercussions of him hanging around in Hogwarts all this time. They are surroundings that none of the other Naruto characters will ever encounter, so who's to say how they will act for sure? **

**Anyway, we're done with this mushy stuff, time to get some action!**** The next chapter will include some great things such as a little rendezvous with our favorite reporter, ramen in the beloved Hogwarts, a drunk House-Elf, and . . . asking girls to a dance? How will our heroes cope?**

**Oh! I'm so sorry that this note is taking a bit of a while, but if you can't tell, Ginny has developed a little bit of a crush on Kakashi. You know, like how schoolgirls sometimes have crushes on their teachers? I just wanted to clear that up because I'm going to be dropping hints every now and then, but I absolutely ****DO NOT**** want people think that I'm doing a KakaGin pairing, or whatever you'd call it. I'm just trying to make it a bit more realistic.  
**


	13. Ramen and Girls!

**Today is a very special day, because first of all it's the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of this crossover! Also, as many of you know, it is the birthday of JK Rowling and Harry Potter! I seriously cannot believe the sheer coincidence of this, because I just posted the first chapter on a whim. I then noticed after posting the last chapter that it was on July 31st, and was quite shocked. Anyway, that just makes this all the more special! Oh, and it's also the b-day of one of my dear friends, **cardcaptor eternity**.**

**So, on this special edition, I have many little surprises and stuff. I would like to start out by thanking all the people who have reviewed these past 12 chapters. You have all stuck with me through quick updates and long updates as well as many other trials. Each and every review has meant more to me than you'll ever know, and it has been a lot of fun getting to know a lot of you through PMs and such, and I have done the best I could to read as many of your stories that I could, and I must say that you all are amazing!**

**Secondly, I would like to especially thank a very special reviewer, who over the course of about three days, read through all 12 chapters for the first time and reviewed for each and every chapter! That person is . . . **A Biliophile**! In gratitude for doing so she get a blue lemonade seahorse.**

**Thirdly, two people have asked to know what happened when Ginny went to visit Kakashi at the hospital before he woke up, and I whipped a little something up for them, and they enjoyed it, so I decided to leave a little Omake treat for all of you with that little excerpt! I've never done this sort of thing before, but I feel like it could be my treat to all you wonderful and dedicated readers! And please remember, that Ginny has a schoolgirl crush on Kakashi, so I don't want people trying to shoot me down for having a Kaka/Gin pairing. The reason I'm having this is to make it more realistic, because things like this happen all the time, so why not at Hogwarts?**

**And finally, thank you all reviewers from the past chapter!: **Lupanari, Megaolix, Quoth the Fool, sugarcrazedninja, Zetsu's Other Half, Meca Vegeta, actionliker, Ashle, r2d2cool, greengirl6, MadnessLover, candyman123, cardcaptor eternity, Silver Star Celine, UzumaiToba, icedragon54, My Solitude, Cooltony101neo, SongoftheDarquePhoenix, Tsukia13, bored wonder, Harmony909, Lily Yamamoto, The-Sponge-Who-Could-Fly, lidiladilon, pamellka, Uzumaki Naruko14, Lunatic Pandora1, Acara Whitefox, eternal-uchiha, Spirit HellFire, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, Sakuramar, 13kanashii13, xX Naru Fantasy Xx, yuroshima, purplepuppyluver, AvatardsUnite, ArrangeloveMatch, Hailey619, ProfChaos, Sakamoto Michiko, Blazer-of-Heat, A Bibliophile (12!), whiteinu1, Kitty-chan and Nya-chan, zornoid13, Madeline Cullen (2), Flame05, zfgaryw4f5t3r45trf, spiritkiller100, StarDancer1234, DarkAmber112, Jumpingbeans480, Ce-Ce Riddle, kimcat, Moonfayth, **and **FantomoDrako**!**

**If this chapter couldn't get any more special, I have a 450th reviewer to thank, as well as a 500th reviewer! **UzumakiToba **gets a batch of chocolate chip cookies and **DarkAmber112 **gets a hug from Gaara and Kakashi! _(They will arrive momentarily)_**

**Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to JK Rowling for creating Harry Potter, the character Harry Potter himself, **cardcaptor eternity**, and all my SUPER AMAZING****LY FANTASTICAL REVIEWERS and READERS! I luv you all!**

* * *

Naruto's fame spread like crazy as his story of turning into a naked woman swept across the school. He rather enjoyed it at first_ (while Gaara thought it a nuisance)_ but then it became incredibly cumbersome as boy after boy would ask for a demonstration while the girls would glare at him menacingly for being so disrespectful. McGonagall was obviously mortified, and while Dumbledore didn't say anything, his bright blue eyes would twinkle with laughter at the blond foreigner's antics.

With all the popularity and approval of the shinobi, they soon fell into a sense of security that perhaps their "outburst" would be forgotten, but sadly, with the arrival of one person in Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class, it was clear that the event was not to be locked away in memory just yet.

"Well, well, well . . . this _does _look like fun." Everyone rotated their attention towards the voice, and mostly to Harry's annoyance, saw Rita Skeeter.

"Who're you?" Hagrid asked after he captured the remaining skrewt. He still remained oblivious to the fact that none of his students were as excited about his lesson as he was.

"Rita Skeeter, _Daily Prophet _reporter," the hag replied. Naruto shuddered at her gold teeth.

"Thought Dumbledore said you weren' allowed inside the school anymore," Hagrid pointed out.

Apparently she didn't hear him and proceeded to be fascinated by the creatures, asking him questions about where they came from, and practically demanded an interview with Hagrid. Gaara noticed the photographer that hovered behind Rita, who appeared incredibly anxious to take pictures of the strange creatures before him.

Once she and Hagrid made arrangements for an interview, she began to leave and then rounded on Naruto, Gaara, and Kakashi, as if noticing them for the first time.

"Oh, so you're the three foreigners." Before they could say anything, she tore out her levitating green pen and notepad.

"Rumor has it," she said, sliding her tongue over her teeth in anticipation. "That _you _were all involved in a _teensy_ weensy accident a few weeks ago? Something that sent you to the hospital wing? Damaged some school property?"

Before anyone else could respond Gaara stepped forward, arms folded and nodded. "Yeah."

Rita practically beamed. "Would you mind giving a brief recount of the events?"

Gaara curled his lips into a small, dangerous smile that everyone else knew meant trouble. Rita, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice.

"Of course. Wouldn't you like a picture as well? We can pose for it first." The photographer almost jumped for joy, and Rita seemed to have tears in her eyes.

Unsure of what was going on, but trusting Gaara, the three moved awkwardly closer together and blinked furiously at the blinding light of the camera.

"Now, what happened?" Rita asked in a very hushed voice, as if speaking too loud would ruin the moment.

Gaara flashed his demonic grin before replying, "How about a demonstration?" Before she had a chance to blink, Gaara's sand shot out, snatched the camera out of the man's grip, and smothered it in the sand. Then he did the same to her quill and notepad that were levitating in the air. He brought the wrapped devices closer to him, and, sticking out his right outstretched hand, closed his fingers into a fist.

"_Sabaku SouShu!_" The two balls of sand folded in on themselves, and there was a loud BANG! Smirking, Gaara released the sand, allowing the smoldering debris to fall in front of the gaping reporter.

"Now," Gaara said calmly. "Unless there's anything else you'd like, leave." He narrowed his eyes. "Now."

Rita opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was something that sounded like a gurgle. Gaara raised his sand again and the duo ran away at a speed so fast Gai-sensei would be proud.

After the initial shock had worn off, all the Gryffindors cheered emphatically, with Naruto thumping Gaara on the back.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed.

"Gaara! How could you do that?" Hermione asked in horror.

"I just destroyed her pen," he answered coolly, wondering what the problem was. At least he didn't kill her, so in hindsight, he was doing her a huge favor, really.

"She'll buy another one, and then find a way to get back at you!" she responded, clearly distressed.

"You know, she's right mate," Ron admitted. "That witch'll do _anything_ for a story."

"Remember what she said about me?" Harry added.

Naruto shrugged. "Can't say anything worse than what people have said or done in the past," he concluded darkly.

"Besides, we don't live in this world, so as soon as we leave it won't matter what she said," Gaara said with his arms folded.

"S'pose you're right," Ron shrugged. "Let's go to lunch, I'm starving!"

After lunch the group separated, with Harry, Ron, and Naruto going to Divination, and Hermione and Gaara went to Ancient Runes. Ever since his outburst in Divination, the brainy girl had eagerly invited him over to her class, obviously pleased with his actions.

The three friends were concerned however, when Gaara and Hermione weren't at dinner.

"Maybe they're at the library?" Ron suggested hopefully.

To their dismay they only found Victor Krum and his fangirls close by, discussing the best methods on how to get his autograph. The three boys left rather quickly.

Just as they were about to enter the Gryffindor Common Room, Hermione came running through the corridor to their left and slammed to a halt.

"Harry!" she panted. "Harry, you've got to come—you've _got_ to come, the most amazing thing's happened—please—" she pleaded as she yanked on Harry's arm and tried to drag him down the way she came.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked, clearly confused.

"I'll show you when we get there—oh come on, quick—"

The three boys glanced at each other completely bewildered, then Ron shrugged and Harry nodded. Then they took off after Hermione.

"Oh don't mind me!" The Fat Lady called in annoyance at their retreating forms. "Don't apologize for bothering me! I'll just hang here, wide open, until you get back, shall I?"

"Yeah, thanks!" Ron shouted over his shoulder.

Naruto turned around, being the closest, and quickly jogged over and closed the portrait shut, swiftly yet gently.

"Thank you, dear," the Fat Lady said sweetly. She heard gossip from the other portraits concerning the foreigners that wasn't all kind, but she found she had to disagree. From all she saw, the three foreigners were incredibly kind and polite _(though obviously reckless and strangely intimidating)_ especially the blond, Naruto.

Said boy grinned widely, the type of smile that would warn an old woman's heart.

"Oi! Naruto! You comin' or what?" Ron called back, already at the end of the corridor.

Naruto spared a second to see where his friends were then turned back to the portrait.

"See ya," he saluted before speeding off so fast it seemed as if he Apparated and the Fat Lady craned her neck to try and follow him, but being closed now it just wasn't possible.

There was a large gust of wind that flew past the wizard trio, and once it stopped Naruto was calmly jogging at their side, not showing any indication that he had just run the entire length of a corridor in under two seconds.

Just as Ron was about to ask him how he accomplished such a feat, Hermione suddenly stopped in front of a large portrait of a fruit bowl.

"Oh hang on . . . " Harry said slowly, looking back and forth between Hermione and the picture. "I know what this is about."

"What?" Harry gestured to the picture for Ron and realization dawned on his face.

"Hermione! You're trying to rope us into that spew stuff again!" Ron complained.

"It's not _spew_," Naruto said indignantly. "It's S.P.E.W.!" At his correction Hermione beamed at him with pride while the other boys looked disgusted. Then they tried to dissuade her from tickling the green pear but eventually gave up and resigned themselves for whatever lay in store for them, especially Harry.

As soon as the portrait opened, Naruto was given a mere second to glance at the enormous room with mountains of shiny pots and pans and a huge fireplace on the wall opposite them when something came hurling towards the group, shouting Harry's name. Acting purely on instinct, Naruto jumped in front of Harry to stop the creature and withdrew a kunai that he had embedded within the pockets in his robes.

The creature stopped running barely a breath away from the kunai tip, growled at Naruto, then snapped its fingers and Naruto found himself being sent flying into the wall on his left. His years of shinobi training allowed him to easily rotate his body so he pushed off the wall and charged back towards the wizards and strange creature.

Suddenly he found himself stopped in mid-air by sand curled around his legs, torso, and extended hand with the kunai.

"Impressive Naruto, but there's no need to hurt Dobby." Naruto glanced down and saw Gaara walking towards him, a container of butterbeer in his left hand and his right hand extended, no doubt controlling the sand.

"Eh?" The blond shifted his attention back to the group and saw the strange creature standing in front of Harry and his friends protectively. Now that he got a good look at him, it was the most peculiar creature he'd ever seen. It had large batlike ears, a pointed nose, was probably only three feet tall, and had eyes the size of grapefruits. What was even stranger were the assortment of what Naruto took to be clothing on him.

"Um—Dobby . . . was it?" Naruto asked sheepishly. The creature nodded slowly. "You can put me down now, Gaara!" the genin said in annoyance. Once he was safely on the ground Naruto put his kunai back in its hidden pocket _(being careful to avoid Hermione's glare)_ and walked up to Dobby, who still stared at him warily.

"I apologize for almost attacking you," he said humbly as he bowed. "It was too much of a reflex, and I—"

Whatever Naruto would have said next was drowned out by Dobby's wail. Both the shinobi were immediately confused and tried to locate the source of danger, their senses heightened by chakra. Only the wizards appeared calm.

"Shhhh, it's okay, Dobby," Harry said weakly, trying to pacify the crying House-Elf.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked in concern.

Dobby looked at Naruto with pure awe and devotion while also seeming incredibly embarrassed. "You—you are a . . . great man . . . just like Harry Potter," he sobbed. "Bow—bowing to a . . . House-Elf like Dobby . . . "

"It's just one of his customs," Hermione cooed softly. "Naruto and Gaara are not from around here, so some of their customs are different than ours. It's his way of showing respect or regret."

Dobby's mouth opened wide and he glanced back at the shinobi as if to ask them to confirm what had just been revealed, and Naruto nodded, only to have himself assaulted by a large hug from Dobby.

"Thank you, sir!" he hiccupped. "If there is anything Dobby can do for you, sir, Dobby would be glad to do it!"

Naruto chuckled and hugged the House-Elf back, patting his head. "Sure! You're my new friend now, Dobby!" The elf beamed at Naruto's smile and glanced at Gaara, who gave him a slight nod. Then Dobby looked around between the two shinobi and the three wizards with tears in his eyes.

"Dobby is so lucky, to have such great friends," he declared. Then he quickly wiped his eyes. "Would Dobby's friends like some tea?" At their nod, six house-elves trotted up to them with silver trays laden with tea, milk, and a large plate of biscuits.

"Great service!" Ron exclaimed as the house-elves bowed in delight before retreating to their duties.

"So, you guys all cook the meals here?" Naruto asked in fascination as he began eating the delicious food.

Dobby nodded vigorously. "The Hogwarts castle is in our care, from cleaning to preparing all the food." (Hermione sighed sadly) "If there is anything you need, sirs, feel free to ask!"

"Oi, Dobby," Naruto whispered, leaning towards the elf, "Could you guys make some ramen?"

"Of course, Naruto, sir!" Dobby beamed, then his face fell. "Excuse me, sir, but what is ramen?" Naruto was momentarily shocked but quickly overcame it and explained his favorite dish to Dobby rapidly, and then some house-elves set to work preparing it.

Then next ten minutes were composed of discussing how Dobby came to work at Hogwarts, and then he led them over to another elf named Winky, who was a pitiful sight. At that time five house-elves came to Naruto and delivered him a large bowl of ramen and another butterbeer for Gaara. Then the two stood next to each other a few feet away from the wizards and two house-elves because the discussion had turned away from matters they understood or (quite frankly) cared about.

Besides, Naruto was eating his ramen so fast he didn't have time to focus on a conversation anyway.

"So, how'd you get here, Gaara?" the blond asked as he began to slow down. The shinobi shrugged.

"I came here with Hermione after our class because she wanted to check something, and we ended up meeting Dobby. They chatted for a few minutes and we both got lunch here, and then she ran off to get you guys while I talked with Dobby." He took a drink of his butterbeer. "They are very interesting creatures, these house-elves."

"They're excellent cooks!" Naruto exclaimed to the delight of the elves who returned to take his bowl and bowed respectfully as he asked for another.

Before long the group of five had to leave, and while they left their pockets were filled with all types of treats, and Naruto was able to get a request for ramen at every meal. The two shinobi were also carrying their own bottle of butterbeer.

The focus of their conversation was on S.P.E.W. until they returned to the dormitory, and everyone but Naruto seemed quite keen to have Hermione go up to her room.

* * *

"Would you three pay attention and act your age!" McGonagall shouted. Harry, Ron, and Naruto flinched at the sound of her voice and quickly hid the fake wands they were playing with, trying to feign innocence.

All the fourth-year Gryffindors and above were summoned to a vacant room, and McGonagall had them sit according to gender, with boys on one side and girls on another. The boys eyed the enormous phonograph that Filch was fiddling with nervously. No one had any idea what they were doing there.

"_Anyway_," she continued in annoyance. She had tried to begin and tell them why they were all gathered there, but the three boys had assumed that since they were so far down the row that the headmistress couldn't see them and the fact that they felt they couldn't care less about what she would say, gave them free reign over what to do.

"The Yule Ball is approaching," she began when she noticed she had everyone's attention, "and as representatives of the host school I expect you all to put your best foot forward, and I mean this literally because the Yule Ball is first and foremost—a dance."

As soon as she ceased speaking the students erupted in a near pandemonium of chatter. The girls gasped and began eagerly whispering back and forth, already making plans about what they'd wear, how they'd do their hair, and most importantly, who they'd want to go with.

The boys however, groaned loudly and some even put their heads in their hands as if hiding would make it all go away. Others just sunk lower into their seats, the overwhelming fear of having to ask the girl they cared about to the dance consuming them, already trying to deal with the anticipated rejection and therefore humiliation.

"Dance?" Naruto asked in confusion. He turned to Harry. "What does she mean by that?"

Harry and Ron gaped at their friend's ignorance and glanced at Gaara, who had the same look of curiosity, though he tried to hide it.

"You guys don't have dances from where you're from?" Ron asked in bewilderment.

"A shinobi lifestyle is filled with training and killing; no time for dances," Gaara remarked honestly, having a bit more knowledge about the meaning of the word than his friend.

Harry gulped at the carefree tone in Gaara's voice. The strange shinobi were no doubt friends of his now, but the way they threw around the subject of death and killing so freely always unnerved him. He then did his best to convey the meaning behind dances to a curious Naruto.

"Silence!" McGonagall commanded. For some reason she didn't look that interested in it herself. "The House of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the Wizarding world for centuries and I will not have you besmirch that respect by behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons!"

"Try saying that five times fast," George whispered to Fred and they spent the next few minutes trying to outdo each other, causing nearby boys to snicker.

"Now, to dance," the headmistress continued, seemingly oblivious to the twin's actions, "is to let the body breath. Inside every girl a secret swan slumbers, longing to burst forth and take flight!" She said this with such poetic conviction that all the boys (and a few girls) could not help but snigger and begin to poke fun at her passionate observation.

"How many decades you wanna bet it's been since McGonagall's swan has been able to 'burst forth'?" Ron whispered to Harry and Naruto, who had to stifle their laughter without much success.

"Inside every boy, a lordly lion prepared to prance." She turned to the red-head, a dangerous look in her eye. "Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes?" Ron immediately regretted opening his mouth and fearfully glanced up at the professor, dreading what would happen next.

"Will you join me please?" she said as she extended out her hand. Ron's eyes bulged and he reluctantly got up, "assisted" by a grinning Harry.

"Now, place your right hand on my waist," she instructed when he came close enough.

"Where?" His horror and disbelief was evident.

"My waist." Ron could have sworn she was hiding a smirk. As he unwillingly put his right hand around her waist, there was a wolf whistle (most likely from one of his brothers) and he made a motion with his right hand that would most likely turn into a rude hand gesture, but McGonagall grabbed it and placed it back on her waist. "And extend your arm," she finished.

"_Heeey!_" George smirked, raising his eyebrows suggestively at his younger brother.

"Mr. Filch, if you please?" The old man nodded vigorously and struggled with the decrepit machine, then succeeded as soft, crackly music burst forth.

"One, two, three . . . one, two, three," McGonagall began, leading Ron around in circles around the room, "one, two, three . . . "

Once she was satisfied that the students got the basics down, she instructed, "Everybody come together, boys on your feet."

All the girls immediately leapt to their feet, giggling as they did so, while the boys simply sunk further into their seats, staring at the ground, their hands, or ceiling in fascination, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone.

After a few seconds Neville gulped and stood up quickly, as if he were afraid his courage would soon run out, and cautiously asked Hermione to dance. She smiled warmly and obliged.

"I'm not afraid to ask a girl, dattebayo!" Naruto proclaimed, and jumped up to join Neville, asking a beautiful girl who reminded him of Sakura somewhat and asked her to dance.

Betrayed, the boys realized they had to comply (in order to not be considered cowards) so they slowly got off their seats and asked various girls to dance. Gaara, however, backed up into the shadows and was merely content to observe.

* * *

The Yule Ball was all that anyone could talk about for the rest of the day, and there was quite a large crowd of Gryffindors discussing it late that night in the common room. George was talking to Lee Jordan when he suddenly stood up and walked over to Ron, who was sitting on the couch next to Harry and Naruto.

"Ron," George began, in a way that everyone knew he was in for trouble. "I've got to say that earlier today I was quite proud of you."

"Really?" Ron asked, not convinced in the least bit. He tried to figure out what his brothers were going to do before it actually happened so he could prepare himself.

"We both are," Fred continued, speaking from one of the chairs. "Your performance with Professor McGonagall was astounding!"

Ron growled at the particular memory, wishing that his brothers would shut up. "You guys are such prats," he mumbled angrily.

"There, there, Ron!" George said in a shocked voice. "We only have your best interests at heart! We know that if it weren't for the rest of us being there, the exchange would have gone a little something like this." He faced Fred and cleared his throat dramatically, willing everyone to quiet down and listen to him.

"Now, place your hand on my waist," George cooed in his best imitation of Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Oh, Minerva!" Fred exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. "I thought you'd never ask!"

Then he leapt off the chair and dreamily put one arm on his brother's waist and the other in George's outstretched hand and the pair began to dramatically parade around the common room to the music of laughter from fellow Gryffindors.

"I've been waiting for this moment for decades!" George continued emphatically. "I've had to sit through all those Weasley boys for generations until you finally showed up!"

"I know how you feel, Minerva," Fred pronounced, drawing his brother closer. "It's been so long, and the moment I met you, I knew that you were the one! Words alone cannot express your beauty!"

By now people were laughing so hard they couldn't breathe, the sole exception being Ron, who was such a deep shade of red Harry thought his friend would burst, but at the moment he was too busily focused on trying to cease laughing long enough to get enough air to his lungs.

Hermione wasn't fairing too well either, and her hands were covering her mouth in a desperate attempt to silence herself. She had held out the longest, but eventually succumbed.

Naruto was simply beside himself, having never laughed this much in his life before. It made him so ecstatic to know that there were others out there that shared his love for comedy, and they were exceptionally good at it. Gaara stared outside in an attempt to distract himself and not embarrass himself by laughing again.

Just as Ron jumped up and was about to utter a long string of curse words Harry was sure his mother would not be proud of, someone started clapping behind them.

Everyone turned around quickly, not understand why they had a bad feeling about the new intruder, and all paled as they realized who it was.

"Quite an entertaining performance, young Mr. Weasley's," McGonagall's stern voice announced as she emerged from a dark archway.

Fred and George were still holding onto each other, completely frozen in place with a small amount of fear on their faces. Ron (if it were possible) turned an even darker shade of red. All the other students felt as if their life was at an end and wanted to flee but felt they couldn't. It was as if Professor McGonagall was emitting some sort of killer intent at them and they were unable to move. Gaara was the only one who didn't seem affected, and quite frankly, looked like he was holding back a smirk, as if he believed they all deserved it.

"I had no idea that my students seemed to think so highly of me," she continued dryly, coming closer and closer, causing the students to practically wilt underneath her suffocating presence.

"But it appears that you Weasley boys are my _absolute _favorite," the headmistress smirked as she stopped a few feet away from the three boys, two of whom hadn't moved since she arrived.

Then, to the terror of everyone present, (the twins practically whimpered) McGonagall lifted her wand up to her face, yet held it strangely, with two fingers resting vertically against the wand as if she were about to silence them.

She opened her mouth as if to utter a curse, then suddenly disappeared underneath a cloud of smoke and revealed . . . . Kakashi.

There was complete and utter silence for the next few seconds as everyone's brains struggled to grasp what just happened, and Kakashi chuckled, pocketing his wand as he did so.

"You really should have seen the look on your faces," he teased, crossing his arms smugly.

The twins quickly let go of each other while staring at Kakashi with expressions that were a cross between respect and fury, then glanced at each other and with a barely perceptible nod, whipped out their wands and tried to hex him.

As expected, the curses sailed through empty air and collided with the wall in front of them. Before the twins even had a chance to blink they found themselves hanging upside down and Kakashi in front of them, twirling a barely noticeable string around his fingers.

"Did you really think you could pull something over on me?" the jounin taunted. "I'd no sooner pronounce my undying love for the Giant Squid than let you succeed in pranking me."

"Is that a challenge, Kakashi?" Fred gasped, placing a hand on his heart.

"I do believe it is, dear brother," George grinned maliciously.

"We accept your challenge," they said in unison.

The jounin shrugged. "Challenge for you, child's play for me." And with that he yanked on the string and let the boys fall, only to catch them at the last second and flip them right-side up. Now that the excitement was over, all the other students went off to bed, leaving only the shinobi, Harry's group, and the twins.

"Haven't had that much fun in a while," Kakashi chuckled as he sat on the couch next to Naruto. He paused as he looked at all their faces. "So tell me, why Ron was dancing with Professor McGonagall?"

Their good moods slightly dropped. "Because the Yule Ball is coming up," Ron muttered darkly.

"Yule Ball?" Kakashi was confused.

"It's basically this big dance that's done with the other schools and—"

"Da—dance?" The jounin looked absolutely mortified.

"What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. _How did he know about dances when he didn't?_

The man simply shook his head wearily. "When I was younger, I went on a mission with my team, and learned all about the horrors of a—_dance_."

"Really? Tell us!" Naruto hardly ever got to hear about his sensei's past, no matter how hard he tried. Kakashi shook his head.

"Oi, you owe us, mate," Fred said sternly.

"Yeah, after that stunt you pulled, you can tell us a little story," George prodded sweetly.

The man frowned, but everyone present began pestering him so he sighed and relented.

"Well, it was during the calm, but tense time just before the war started," he began, drawn back into his memories . . .

* * *

"_Minato-sensei, remind us why we're doing this again?" Obito complained as they made their way through a large manor. They had just completed their mission, escorting some nobles from the Land of the Moon back home. Because of the threat of war, the traveling nobles had to end their sightseeing journey early and had eagerly requested Konoha's help. Because of the high payment, Sarutobi had thought it best to show their appreciation by sending the infamous Yellow Flash and his team to carry out the job._

_The job went relatively smoothly, with only a few skirmishes that were easily defeated by the powerful team, though many attributed it to the fact that the moment any bandits saw the shinobi who were protecting them included the Yellow Flash, they gave up. _

"_It's to show their gratitude for a safe passage, and it would be incredibly disrespectful to refuse," Minato grinned. Once the caravan had returned, the leader, Yukio, humbly invited them to join in a celebratory ball. Their country was notorious for the nobles to party incessantly, so a dance to commemorate the return of the caravan was no surprise._

"_You look quite pleased with yourself, sensei," Kakashi noted dryly._

_Minato chuckled. "Well, it's not everyday that a shinobi gets to go to a dance!"_

"_Is it the dance you're excited for, or the excuse for you to show off in front of the ladies?" Rin teased as she raised an eyebrow, provoking a smirk from Obito and a small smile from Kakashi._

_Their sensei waved them off. "The ladies are just a bonus," he lied. "What I'm more excited for is the chance to see my star pupils enjoy themselves at such a lavish celebration!"_

"_But we don't even know how to dance!" Obito protested. _

"_It doesn't matter," Kakashi sighed. "You'll just end up making a fool of yourself anyway."_

"_And why's that, teme?" the genin said hotly._

_Kakashi raised an eyebrow and glanced at him reproachfully. "If it's so hard for you to carry out the simple task of walking from one place to the next without tripping over your own two feet, then doing something as complicated as dancing is impossible."_

_The Uchiha growled and made a lunge for his teammate when Minato caught him around the waist._

"_Maa, calm down, Obito," his sensei sighed, all too used to their bickering. "I think the real reason Kashi is being so mean is because he's too afraid of having to dance himself!"_

_The chuunin's teammates and sensei snickered at this, causing the boy to unwillingly turn a light shade of pink. _

"_Dancing is stupid!" he remarked. "It serves no useful purpose and it just makes you look like a fool!"_

"_Is not, Kashi," Rin chided. "Dancing teaches you grace and culture."_

"_Well said, Rin!" Minato beamed. _

"_Which is exactly why Obito will fail at it," the boy muttered under his breath._

"_Anyway, the dance starts in a few hours, so we need to get settled in, get dressed, and let your ol' sensei teach you some dancing moves!"_

_Three hours later found three 13-year-olds standing by themselves in an enormous ballroom, abandoned immediately upon their entrance by their beaming sensei whom appeared to have an avalanche of young, beautiful women descend on him almost at once. _

_The two boys tugged at their obi that lay across their stomach, tied across their kimono. Both were horrified at the outfit they were presented with by their sensei, but because servants were there in the room, they had to disguise their disgust with a look of respectful indifference. The servants were there because it was well known that shinobi didn't attend many formal ceremonies or occasions, so Yukio had ordered that they be assisted in getting prepared. _

_Rin surprisingly had no trouble getting ready, and she was simply beautiful in the purple spotted kimono she wore, and had a dark, pink obi wrapped firmly around her upper waist. Her normally straight, brown hair was tied back into a bun and an extravagant headdress lay on top of her head. The normal tattooed markings on her face were hidden underneath the traditional makeup and she smelled of sakura blossoms. _

_Her teammates slightly blushed at her beauty and quietly complimented her on it. No one would be able to suspect she was a tough kunoichi who had seen too much death and violence for one so young looking like that. _

_Obito's kimono was a rich blue with designs of various, colorful sea creatures threaded throughout, and wore a deep purple obi. It fit along nicely with his dark hair and one of the servant girls who had assisted Rin blushed upon seeing him, which easily raised his spirits._

_Kakashi, on the other hand, wore a more simple kimono, with a black background that matched his mask, (he had flat-out refused to remove his blue one, on the grounds that he was severely scarred and did not want to show his face, so Yukio had immediately set out for a black mask for him to wear) and there were numerous silver swirls that lay on top of the dark shade underneath. His obi was light gray._

_Their sensei's kimono was by far the most outrageous, but it strangely suited him. The background was white with red and golden flames consuming it. The flames were more centralized near the bottom and the sleeves, and an orange obi was tied tightly around his waist._

_Rin was soon asked to dance, leaving the two boys to brood by themselves. _

"_Soooo, what should we do?" Obito asked warily. The chuunin rolled his eye. _

"_You're_ _the one who has to ask the girls to dance," he growled. "It's impolite for them to come to you."_

"_Ooohh," he responded simply, clearly embarrassed. "Well—why don't you ask anyone then?"_

"_Because it was not my wish to do this in the first place," was the answer._

_The Uchiha sighed and peeked at a group of girls nervously, all whom giggled when they met his eyes and held their fans in front of their faces, obviously engaged in furious chatter. Feeling incredibly brave and courageous, Obito left his surly companion and asked the red-haired girl to dance. _

_Then, as an afterthought, he leaned in to a more boisterous brunette and whispered, "You see the boy over there, in the mask?"_

_The girl glanced over and nodded, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks despite the amount of white makeup. _

"_He'd really like to dance with someone as beautiful as you," he cooed. The girl beamed and whispered back. _

"_Really?"_

"_Hai," (Obito knew he might pay for this later, but he couldn't resist) "only thing is, he's incredibly shy, so it would be best if you went over there to him." Then he turned to his dance partner and added over his shoulder, "And when you're done, be sure to let your friends know so he won't ever be lonely."_

* * *

"And so, I spent the rest of the night dancing with all these girls who would come up to me and ask to dance, never allowing me a moments peace," Kakashi concluded, shuddering at the memory. "It was the most terrifying thing I've ever done in my life."

Once he was finished the Weasley twins and Naruto laughed at his predicament, while the rest either sympathized with his horror, or simply sighed.

"Blimey, that Obito bloke seems like a great guy!" George observed.

"Is there any way we could meet him sometime?" Fred asked, clearly impressed by his show of skill in the area the two boys excelled in.

Kakashi paused for a moment before replying, "Not really, he died a few months later by a rock avalanche." The airy tone with which he responded hinted at the fact that story time was over.

"Ahem, well . . . I guess it's time we go to bed then—eh?" Ron announced awkwardly. Everyone rose up at once and tried to shrug off the hidden sorrow with lightheartedness.

"Oh, Harry, what was it that Professor McGonagall asked to speak to you about?" Hermione inquired before they went their separate ways up the stairs.

Harry groaned. In all the excitement he had completely forgotten. "Uh—she said that the, uh . . . champions are going to begin the dance with—with their partners."

"I feel for ya, mate," Ron said in a mock, solemn tone, even though Harry knew he was enjoying himself at Harry's expense.

The two boys then spent the rest of the night discussing which girls were eligible, and eventually succumbed to slumber, all the while dreaming of being with the girl they secretly wished to be with.

* * *

**So, you like? ****I really apologize if I butchered any Japanese dancing customs, but I tried to be as vague as possible by not leaving too much detail about how they danced and instead focused on their clothes. I tried to research though, so don't hurt me!**

**I hope you all forgive me for using another small little detail from the movie, 'cause I really wanted to have that teasing bit in there with Ron. I just couldn't resist! (Neither could Fred and George, they were literally **_**begging**_** me!) I used some lines from the movie and added some of my own, so I give credit to the creators of the Harry Potter Movie IV!**

**Anyways, I'm really excited because next chapter is all about the Yule Ball and Christmas! Until then . . .**

**Here's your Omake present! Remember, it takes place during the last chapter, before Kakashi woke up.**

* * *

Ginny sighed as she stared out across the lake. She felt really awful for the shinobi people, because she knew exactly what it was like to have something possess you, and have that monster make you do things you didn't want to do that were against your will.

She felt as though she should be mad at Naruto for hurting her brother, but she knew he would never have meant to do that on purpose, and Ron was all better now, so there was nothing to worry about.

Then her thoughts drifted over to Kakashi, their sensei—or whatever they called him—and her stomach did an involuntary lurch as if it was doing somersaults. All she remembered was seeing him jump into action to protect everyone, especially his students with such honorable ferocity that she couldn't help but be astonished. Then as she saw him burst from underneath that rubble, looking as if he had wrestled with death himself, the young Weasley girl's heart stopped for a moment, having never seen another human being that injured before.

When his mask was removed in the hospital wing, all she could do was stare, and try to engrain that image in her memory forever. He was the _hottest _man she had ever laid eyes on, and wondered if that was why he wore the mask. If anything it made him more mysterious, and she felt privileged to be able to have seen his face. Despite the fact that his hair was the weirdest style (and color) she had ever seen, and that scar across his eye looked painful, it somehow seemed to fit him and made him all the more attractive.

However, even though he was younger than she originally thought, he was still too old for her, but Ginny found she could not dispel the feelings she had for him. No matter how hard she tried, she could not stop herself from imagining herself (older and prettier of course) being wrapped up in those muscular arms of his as he gently brushed his fingers through her hair, or him slowly pulling down his mask to let their lips touch . . .

She shook her head as if to rid herself of the images. _You better stop that Ginny Weasley_, she chided herself. _Just think of what you're saying! What would mom say? What would Ron, Fred, and George say?_ _There's no way he'd like you anyway, and he's probably got a wife and children at home, or at least a lover_.

Ginny glanced at the reflection of the setting sun in the water's reflection, and saw Kakashi in it. She shrieked in frustration and tossed a rock in, shattering the image.

"That's it, I need to visit him," she muttered to herself.

And so, a few minutes later Ginny was at the entrance to the infirmary, a small vase in hand with a couple bright, yellow flowers delicately arranged. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

_It's okay, all you're doing is bringing him a few flowers_—_just because you're concerned about him. He hasn't woken up for three days, and he got hurt protecting you and all the other students. It's something anyone would do_, she consoled herself.

Pushing open the door, she glanced around and noticed with relief that Naruto and Gaara weren't there, or else that would have made it all the more embarrassing. Naruto probably wouldn't think much of it, but she knew Gaara would be watching her very closely, most likely guessing the reason behind her visit.

"What can I do for you, dear?" Madame Pomphrey asked sweetly.

"Oh—I . . . uh—wanted to give these to Kakashi—so he gets better," she stuttered, wincing slightly as she stumbled over the words. _So stupid!_

For a fraction of a second a small smirk flashed across Madame Pomphrey's face, but was so quickly replaced by a warm smile that Ginny figured she had to have imagined it.

"Of course, Ginny, I think he would appreciate that." She then turned her attention away from the girl and allowed her the privacy to lay the flowers down herself.

Sighing with relief, Ginny walked to Kakashi's bedside and sat on the adjacent hospital bed. As she gazed at his limp form, she noticed with slight disappointment that his mask was put back on, probably because Madame Pomphrey was too afraid for him to realize that she had removed it. He still had hospital garb on, but his newly patched shinobi clothes were hanging neatly over the small rail at the foot of the bed.

After staring at his peacefully slumbering form, Ginny cleared her throat and shook her head.

"Well—I uh . . . wanted to thank you—for protecting all of us and uh—," she struggled, unsure of what exactly to say. She knew he was asleep in some sort of coma or whatever, but she had always heard that comforting words helped bring a person out of it, and eased their suffering. "We all . . . miss you and hope you get better soon."

Now she got that out of the way, Ginny felt slightly better and more relaxed, so she stood up to place the small vase she had on the little bed stand to his right. Once she set it down where it wouldn't fall, she noticed the headband that he always wore over his injured eye. Picking it up, she held it in her hands gingerly and traced the strange swirl carved into the metal. It was the most peculiar symbol she had ever seen, but she figured it had to do with where they were from or at least a symbol that they were shinobi.

As Ginny inspected the Hitai-ate, Kakashi stirred from his sleep and slowly opened his eyes, but after a quick burst of chakra drain in his left eye closed them again. _Shikusho! I always forget about that when I wake up in a— _(Here he paused then quickly opened just his right eye and examined his surroundings) _hospital, _he groaned. Then all the memories came flooding back about Naruto and Gaara transforming because of some strange creature and he shot up in bed, worried for their safety.

There was a loud shriek followed by the sound of glass breaking and Kakashi whipped his head around, hand gripping for a kunai due to sheer reflexes, but came up with nothing. Glancing down he discovered with disdain that he was covered in a fading blue tunic, then his hand immediately went up to his face, but sighed in relief that his mask was still on.

"Y—you're . . . awake?" a small and feeble voice called out. Kakashi's attention snapped to the source of the noise and saw one of the Weasley girls—actually, the _only _Weasley girl—crouching beside a hospital bed stand, gripping its side for support. Clearly she had found his awakening as surprising as he had.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Ano—sorry for startling you like that, sometimes my reflexes get the best of me." He then got out of his crouched position and calmly sat on the bed as Ginny crawled out from her hiding spot in between the opposite bed and nightstand.

"Please tell me you don't always wake up like this," the girl teased weakly.

The jounin chuckled. "Only when I don't know where I am." Then he noticed the yellow flowers lying amongst the broken glass and puddle of water. "Oh, I'm sorry—"

"It's okay!" Ginny assured him, albeit a little too quickly. She flicked out her wand and waved it at the mess. "_Reparo!_" Kakashi watched in amazement as the mess flew up and pieced itself back together safely on the bed stand. It was like watching it fall in reverse. Of course, Kakashi had already learned that spell, it being among the first few he learned while pouring over the wizard books he found in the library, but the abilities of these wizards still fascinated him.

"Are those for me?" he asked in amazement. He had been in hospitals countless times before, and only a choice few (mainly Jiraiya, his sensei, and old team) ever came to say hi or even brought flowers.

"Yes! I—I brought them . . . because I thought it might make your stay a little nicer," Ginny announced sheepishly. Kakashi lifted his eyebrow at this, able to ascertain the real reason behind them, but smiled warmly nonetheless.

"Well that's very thoughtful," he said kindly. "I'm not one for hospitals, so I appreciate the gesture."

Ginny's smile grew and her shoulders relaxed slightly, as if she had been on guard ever since she walked in.

"You're welcome!" she said brightly. "Now, I guess I'll leave you to change before Madame Pomphrey comes then."

Kakashi nodded and looked up at the curtains that lay near his bedside and stood up to pull them around his bed so he could change in privacy.

Once the curtains were fully drawn, Ginny glanced around for any sign of Madame Pomphrey, and upon finding her in her office sprinted out of the hospital wing, eager to let the others know of Kakashi's condition, and her mood considerably lighter and she felt as if someone had cast a Cheering Charm on her.

The hospitalized jounin put on his clothes as fast as he could, yet slower than he would have liked because of his still healing ribs, then yanked the curtains back so he could escape, but lo and behold his way was blocked by a smirking Madame Pomphrey.

"Now, where were you off to?" she asked dangerously, in a tone that Kakashi had only heard Tsunade use on her patients.

_Kuso! _Kakashi swore mentally. _I knew I should have transported out of here! _

* * *

**All right, hope you all enjoyed that and thank you all so much again! It's been a very enjoyable year! :) **


	14. A Ninjaful Christmas

**Okay, I hope that wasn't **_**too **_**long of a wait, I did have to work on my other stories and I just started college! Yay! It is so much fun and for those of you not in college yet, it is one of the most amazing things ever and I really love it! (It is hard work though, so it's not something you can just breeze through)**

**Moving on, there has been a lot of question about what is happening back in Konoha with Sakura and Tsunade and the others, and I want to let people know that I am planning on getting to that, but it might take a little while. I assure you that when it happens, the reason for it taking so long will be made known. **

**I really enjoyed reading everyone's reviews and I appreciate them so much! I would like to thank: **MadnessLover, SongoftheDarkPhoenix, bored wonder, Lupanari, Draonheart0000, Zhang Sizheng, AvatardsUnite, JoshRand1982, Kakashifangirlnumber1000, Wolf05, yuroshima, dragonblack (5), Sin Saiori, frostbit, Erendhyl (7), Diamonds-r-4ever-so-am-i, Lunatic Pandora1, Moonfayth, GoldenKitsuneHime13, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, r2d2cool, Lily Yamamoto, kimcat, firedroplet, FantomoDrako, whiteinu1, Jumpingbean480, A Bibliophile, cardcaptor eternity, ArrangedloveMatch, Spirit HellFire, HelKat, Ding Dong Ding, MikoKriszty (13!), hiro15, yaoifangrl4ever, Lord Sia, Madeline Cullen, Narutoboyluver, realisticjoker, Harue Harlequin, Fox Loves Shinigami, Uzumaki Naruko14, UzumakiToba, xX Naru Fantasy Xx, jcbat21, .Weasel, DarkAmber112, GaaraxNaruto, brandiuchiha, StarDancer1234, pamellka, shadow shinobi57, Mark Uzumaki, sugarcrazedninja, DeltaKyuubi, ColorfulDesert **and **Starkraven Madd**!**

**The 550th reviewer was **MikoKriszty **and I was going to give her chocolate chip cookies, but then I saw that she turned 20 on September 12th, so here's some birthday cake! I also want to thank her for reviewing ALL 13 chapters! She requested for an OC appearance, so look out for **Kriszty **during the dance.**

**That's about it, and on with the story! **

* * *

As the night progressed, Gaara noticed that the temperature of the castle steadily decreased, more so than usual, but he simply ignored it and sat closer to the fire, contemplating about the dance.

He was debating whether or not to go, because it would most likely be the only chance he'd have for the rest of his life. Gaara tried to imagine the elders proposing a dance in Suna and almost laughed.

What . . . _frightened _him was that he had to _ask_ a girl. Not that he had that much trouble talking to girls, but it seemed like asking one to a dance was a much bigger step. He knew it was only for a couple hours, but from what he "overheard" (it's not his fault if none of the people here knew how to whisper correctly!) it was something similar to a marriage proposal.

Gaara hardly knew anything about marriage, not even _considered _it! Who would want to marry a murderous Jinchuuriki anyway? Before his horror progressed any further, Gaara decided to glance out the window and discover the cause of why the castle was much colder than usual.

To his shock and alarm, he saw that the whole castle grounds, as far as the eye could see, was covered in some sort of white powder. It appeared perfectly smooth and the rising sun reflected off it brightly, even for his eyes, despite the fact that he had lived in a desert all his life.

_Is it an attack on the castle? Some sort of genjutsu? _he wondered. Seeing as how no one appeared to be alarmed within the castle, Gaara figured that either they knew it was coming and had some sort of counterattack planned, or they didn't know.

Deciding it was best to check with the local inhabitants, Gaara transported himself into Harry and Ron's room then walked to Harry's bed.

Making sure to not make any noise at all, Gaara put a hand over Harry's mouth and woke him up instantly. The young boy awoke with a start and began thrashing, but once he opened his eyes and noticed Gaara, he yawned and calmed down.

"Wha—" Gaara shushed him by putting a finger up to his mouth and gestured to the window. _Honestly, did any of these students know how to be stealthy? _the shinobi sighed to himself. _They also seem incapable of sleeping on guard. If I were an assassin, he would be dead by now._

Harry was utterly confused. Here he was, dreaming about Cho saying yes to his proposal to the Yule Ball, and they were just about to kiss, but then someone puts a hand over his mouth! His first instinct was to grab for his wand, yet once he opened his eyes to try and find them, he saw a blurry Gaara standing above him. The boy hastily snatched his glasses to see, but when he tried to ask what was going on, Gaara shushed him.

_Is there an attack? A prank? What is he doing in my room anyway?_

Unable to come up with any answers, Harry simply followed Gaara to the window.

"What is it?" he whispered as quietly as possible, knowing that Gaara's sense of hearing was more acute than a normal human's. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary. All he could see was a fresh blanket of snow everywhere, and his thoughts strayed to the greatly anticipated snowball fights ahead. Ordinary fights were fine, but get involved in one with Fred and George participating, and it was unlike anything one would ever experience.

"You can't tell?" Gaara asked, so quiet Harry was afraid he had missed it. His lips didn't even move! For some reason Gaara appeared incredibly worried.

"Can't tell _what?_" Harry demanded, his voice becoming louder involuntarily. Maybe it was something only the shinobi could sense? Because he was getting nothing.

"That white substance covering everything," the mysterious boy answered back. He looked like he was struggling between being alarmed or doubtful of Harry's intelligence.

"What—you mean the snow?" Harry asked incredulously. He was woken up from his perfect date with Cho—because of _snow?_

"The snow?"

Judging by Gaara's innocent and bewildered look, Harry was able to determine the cause behind his confusion and started laughing—momentarily forgetting about his sleeping friends.

"What is it?" Gaara demanded, in an almost growl that made Harry stop immediately.

"I—it's just funny how you thought snow was something dangerous," he explained hastily, not wanting to invoke Gaara's anger on him, knowing that it would not end well in his favor. "This is a normal seasonal change here. Do they not have snow where you live?"

The shinobi frowned as he tried to recall what snow was. He remembered vaguely hearing about it from a passing shinobi who just returned from a mission, but when he turned to look at him to find out more, everyone ceased talking and froze, just like everyone did whenever he looked at them.

But that was beside the point. The point was that Harry was laughing at him, and the other boys in the dormitory would be as well. However, it was somewhat of a nice change, seeing as how other people were too afraid to laugh at him (even _look _at him) back in Suna, although he was unsure of whether it was because they didn't understand how he could kill them in the next second or they truly accepted him as a friend. It appeared that he had a lot more to learn.

"Wazzit?" Ron yawned, stretching and squinting at the pair of them. "Wha's going on?"

"Gaara?" Neville asked, staring at him in puzzlement. "What are you doing here?"

The shinobi simply scowled and folded his arms. Seeing that he wasn't going to answer, Harry decided to answer for him.

"He thought we were under attack because of the snow," he sniggered, unable to help himself despite the chill Gaara's stare sent down his spine. How did he _do_ that?

"Really?" The opportunity to tease sobered Ron immediately and the grin on his face was eerily reminiscent of Fred and George's. "You thought we were under _attack?_"

"I—it's an honest m-m—mistake," Neville stuttered, being more perceptive to Gaara's killer intent.

"You mean you've never seen snow before?" Seamus asked, leaning on the edge of his four-poster bed.

_Obviously_, Gaara thought, but he slowly shook his head.

"You from a desert or something?" Dean asked. Gaara nodded, and the five boys seemed to look at him in a whole new light.

"Then how come you're so white?" Seamus asked in amazement. The shinobi frowned, never having really considered it before.

"Most likely because of my sand armor," he informed them. When it was obvious they had no idea what he meant, Gaara held out his hand and made all the sand on his arms separate into the air, exposing his untouched flesh underneath, and the wizards' eyes bugled out at the sight of it.

"So you've been covered in sand this whole time?" Harry exclaimed.

"That's bloody wicked!" Ron cheered, walking up to Gaara for a closer look. "I wish I could do that!"

Gaara wasn't sure what "bloody wicked" meant, but the intent was clear that Ron and the other boys were impressed by his abilities, and not in the sense that they were fearful of it, like other shinobi were whenever they were exposed to his jutsu. A small smile crept onto his face unwillingly and he found himself forgetting the teasing incident.

"So why do you have it?"

"Its use is mainly for battles, because—"

"IT'S SNOWING!" a loud voice proclaimed nearby.

"I think Naruto is up," Ron sniggered, provoking everyone else to do as well, save Gaara, who smiled slightly.

"Well let's make sure he doesn't break something," Harry sighed as everyone walked out of the dormitory to see how things were going.

* * *

Naruto was simply beside himself. It was _snowing! _Konoha was basically spring all year long, and he had only been able to experience snow during that mission in Snow Country. Now he was here at Hogwarts and there was a _ton_ of snow!

It had been chilly and the leaves had been falling for quite some time now, but Naruto honestly paid the season no heed as he tried to absorb everything about Hogwarts. There was still a new jutsu to learn, like Kakashi had hinted at, and Naruto was going to make sure that he didn't go home without one. The problem was figuring out where to start though—he had no idea how to solve that issue.

Jutsu aside, it was snowing or, in more correct terms, it did snow.

"Calm down, Naruto," Kakashi chided. "I know you're excited but you must learn how to control your emotions better. You need to—"

"Guys! Did you know it's snowing?" Naruto yelled, addressing the wizards who were coming down the stairs. Kakashi resisted the urge to hit his own head in despair.

_There are times that he's impossible to work with._

"Yeah, we noticed, Naruto," Harry smirked.

"I'm sure the rest of the castle knows as well," Ron teased as he came up to the blond.

"How long does it last?" the hopeful shinobi asked.

"A few months," Seamus answered, but joined the other wizards in stepping back slightly at the gleam in Naruto's eyes. Now, being so happy or excited you can't believe it at times is appropriate, but the joy the wizards could see in Naruto's eyes made them somewhat fearful and disgusted.

"Eh . . . who's hungry?" Ron asked, eager to break the uncomfortable silence, to which everyone hastily agreed. The wizards turned back around to get dressed, leaving the three shinobi to wait downstairs.

_I'm a little fearful of the effect that hanging out with Lee is having on Naruto_, Kakashi thought to himself as he watched Naruto's eyes practically glisten with stars.

* * *

The rest of the day it was apparent everyone was distracted by the snow, and they couldn't wait to finish their classes and go outside. The teachers, however, did everything they could to keep their attention.

McGonagall blackened the windows and said sternly, "Unless you want to fail this class, I suggest you mature and contain your excitement for the rest of the period."

It was unusually silent the rest of the lecture.

Finally, the last class was over and it was a mad dash onto the grounds. Snowballs were thrown this way and that while those who did not wish to participate sought refuge a good distance away and were content to make snowmen or snow angels. The three shinobi just stood in amazement.

When they first stepped onto the grounds the mayhem was already underway, because they had been held up by Peeves.

"_Ickle little ninjas!" he cackled, encircling the group and slightly terrifying Naruto. _

_Hermione put her hand on his shoulder and whispered, "You don't have to be afraid of him—all he likes to do is play pranks."_

"_Would you mind?" Harry asked, slightly irritated. He __really __wanted to go outside. (There was a chance that he'd run into Cho)_

_Peeves appeared insulted. "All I wanted to do was greet the guests into this castle!"_

"_If you're planning to prank us, it won't work," Gaara sighed, having some previous knowledge about the troublesome poltergeist. _

_The ghost grinned demonically. "How do you know that?" _

_Not wanting to make this progress any further, Kakashi unveiled his Sharingan and stared the curious Peeves in the eyes. No one spoke as they watched the poltergeist stay frozen in place, his face an expression of absolute fear. _

_After about a minute had passed, Kakashi closed his eye and resumed the walk to the grounds, while Peeves screamed in pain and flew off, sobbing pathetically as he did so. Incredibly curious, the five students ran up alongside the jounin. _

"_Did you hurt him?" Hermione asked, finding herself concerned for Peeve's well-being._

_Kakashi shrugged. "Not physically; he's a ghost, isn't he?"_

"_But what did you do?" Harry pleaded, curiosity getting the best of him. . _

_There was a slight pause as Kakashi grinned, then he said, "I simply subjected him to a full hour of dancing ponies, rainbows, and a song from a large, purple dinosaur. I read about all those things from a __Muggle Studies__ book in the library."_

_Harry and Hermione burst out laughing, having a previous knowledge of what Kakashi was talking about, then spent the rest of the walk explaining it to the rest of the group._

Once they made their way outside though, the shinobi were stunned by the sheer chaos of it, and for a few seconds, the snowball battlefield gave way to a war, with the snowballs seeming like spurted blood and disembodied limbs.

"Oi—are you guys all right?" Ron asked fearfully. As soon as their eyes got adjusted to the glare of the sun, the three shinobi seemed to freeze up. Naruto clenched his fists, Gaara's eyes widened, and Kakashi gripped the door so tightly it looked like it would splinter. At the sound of his voice however, they snapped themselves out of it.

"We're fine," Kakashi smiled, though the wizards weren't completely convinced.

"Come on, Naruto," Harry said quickly, wanting to distract the boy from whatever haunted him. "Let's join the fight."

The prospect seemed to work, as Naruto cleared his head then smirked gleefully. "I can beat everyone here by myself," he said proudly, resting his hands behind his head. Due to the cold weather, Naruto was sporting an orange jacket along with his regular clothes as well as a brown scarf. (No one really knew where he found the orange jacket though)

"You and what army?" Ron asked, folding his arms challengingly.

"_Tajuu: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Those who were nearby ceased their snowball onslaught to gape at the sight of a hundred or so Naruto's popping into view with their own signature cloud of smoke.

"OI!" they all bellowed, shaking the grounds and causing a few icicles to fall from nearby trees. Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing, weaponry in hand.

"I CHALLENGE YOU ALL!" one Naruto declared, whom they all guessed must have been the original. There was a moment's pause as everyone determined his intent, then there was a universal acceptance to his challenge, and the pandemonium began, where Hogwarts bore witness to the greatest snowball fight in history.

"Do you really think this wise?" Gaara asked a few seconds later as he and Kakashi stood next to the wall while everyone else did their best to hit Naruto. The Suna shinobi wore a deep maroon jacket and gray scarf. He had abandoned the wizard cloak but had a decent amount of sand in the many pockets of his black pants, just in case he chanced to need some. "It's hardly a fair fight. Just one of him would be enough."

"I think he's taking it a little easy on them," Kakashi observed. For the weather the jounin still wore his deep-blue pants, but opted out of the jounin jacket for a silver one and added a blood-red scarf. "Besides, it's good stamina training for him without the risk of injury." He turned to Gaara. "You should join, you know."

Gaara glanced at the ground. "This . . . _snow_ is wet, and I don't know how the Ultimate Defense would hold up against it."

"Then wouldn't that make Shukaku not willing to put up the shield and you would be free to fight?" Kakashi suggested.

"Or it would make him angry." There was silence for a few minutes, then Kakashi turned to Gaara.

"Whatever you decide to do, be sure to have some fun. I'm going to make sure no one gets seriously hurt by Naruto, and I might have a little something in store for him," he said, all too happily.

As Gaara spent a couple minutes debating whether or not he should join, one of the Narutos (Gaara was slightly unsure of whether or not he was real or a Kage Bunshin) came forward.

"Come on, Gaara! You'll never get to do this again!" he beckoned. "Or are you too afraid?" he teased, seeing the hesitant look on his face.

The Suna shinobi narrowed his eyes. "I'm _not_ afraid."

"Then come on!" With that Naruto easily evaded a snowball thrown his way and he left Gaara to continue the fight.

Gaara sighed and walked forward, paused, then took off his sand armor, not wanting to spend the whole time having to deal with wet and soggy sand falling off him. As a snowball came hurling towards him, Gaara simply stood still to see what Shukaku would do.

As expected, the sand rushed up to protect him, but once the snowball made contact and splattered, the melting snow seeping into the sand and it fell. Gaara could feel the demon's wrath at being forced into such a weakening position, but Gaara merely tuned him out. The young shinobi then bent down and made a snowball—or at least tried to. He was momentarily surprised by how cold it was, just like ice yet it was small and individual like grains of sand. The shinobi held the deformed snowball closer to his face and examined it, determining that snow was just like sand, but instead of individual grains, they were tiny pieces of ice.

Pleased with his discovery, Gaara glanced at the person closest to him, Fred (or George. Even their "magic" signatures were so close together it was nearly impossible to identify them) and aimed the snowball for his back, relying on all his years of shuriken training to aid him. He learned quickly that throwing a ball of ice wasn't the same as throwing a heavy piece of metal, but thankfully he hit his target, just not where he anticipated.

Fred (or George) fell forward from the impact with a surprised grunt, earning a face full of snow.

"Oi! Fred—you okay?" George asked.

_So I was right, _Gaara thought with slight satisfaction.

George helped his twin off the ground and they turned to find the attacker, and were momentarily surprised to see Gaara there.

"Did you—"

"—throw that?" Fred finished. Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow at the twin's ability to finish each others sentence, but nodded, albeit a little hesitantly.

"Guess we have no choice but to retaliate," George said darkly.

For the rest of the fight Gaara found himself in an epic battle with the twins, getting hit more times than he ever did his entire life, and he could have sworn Shukaku was cackling at one point, but it didn't matter.

This was the greatest thing he had ever done in his life.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto was simply enjoying himself. Like Kakashi had surmised, he was letting his guard down slightly to give all the wizards who were participating a fighting chance, but he was still impressed with their ability. As various clones were dispelled for one reason or another, Naruto discovered quickly that the wizards were surprisingly talented in aiming, and wondered briefly how they would do with shuriken or kunai.

His thoughts were interrupted when a snowball came careening out of nowhere and collided with his face. He quickly sat up sputtering, swearing in Japanese and took a glance at the one who hit him.

For a second his heart stopped and the snowball he had prepared to inflict on the poor soul who hit him fell to the ground in a sloppy manner as he stared at the younger form of Jiraiya.

"W—what?"

Suddenly young Jiraiya appeared beside Naruto. "Calm down, it's Kakashi."

"What are you doing?" Naruto demanded.

"Playing," Kakashi chuckled, and then shoved a snowball into Naruto's face. He laughed wholeheartedly as his student sputtered and tried to wipe the snow out of his eyes.

"You're on sensei!" The fight that followed became one of the most memorable experiences in Naruto's life. He focused all his concentration on fighting, and used all manner of jutsu while still being mindful of the normal students around them. What was eerie was that Kakashi was behaving just how Naruto figured a young Jiraiya would act, but he would have never guessed that this was his sensei! It made Naruto wonder what he was like as a kid.

"Come on, Naruto! Don't tell me you're giving up?" Kakashi called out from a nearby tree that he hung from leisurely.

Naruto smirked. "I'm just getting started!" he declared before launching himself into the fight once more.

* * *

The next couple days were torturous for most of the male members at Hogwarts, who suddenly realized just how difficult the task of asking a girl could be.

"Why do they have to move in packs?" Harry asked aloud as a dozen or so girls walked past them, sniggering and staring at Harry. "How're you supposed to get one on their one to ask them?"

"Lasso one?" Ron suggested. "Got any idea who you're going to try?"

Harry didn't answer, but Ron knew who he was thinking about. With a smirk he quickly assured Harry that he'd have no problem asking a girl to a dance.

"What about you two?" Harry addressed the shinobi, trying to divert the conversation.

Gaara shrugged. "I've never danced and there is no way I'm going to ask someone." Why did he feel bad after saying that?

Naruto scowled at him. "Well, I am! I just . . . uh, need to find out the right moment," he admitted sheepishly.

"Wait, you mean you've already figured out who you're going to ask?" Ron asked in amazement. "Who?"

"I'm not going to tell you!" he exclaimed. "You'll just laugh or something."

"No we won't; just tell us," Harry prodded, but the shinobi stayed firm.

"You'll just have to find out at the dance . . . or you might find out sooner," he added as a second thought.

Figuring their best option was to wait, they continued on their way to Hagrid's.

Later on that night they were enjoying their freedom from classes—or at least, everyone but Hermione, and she fully chastised them for it, especially Harry.

"Leave him along, Hermione, he's earned a bit of a break," said Ron, then he tried to continue the game of Exploding Snap with Naruto and Gaara but it blew up and singed his eyebrows.

"Nice look, Ron . . . go well with your dress robes, that will." Their attention was then directed to the twins who had just entered the common room.

"Or you'll just end up like Gaara here," Fred said absentmindedly.

Ron felt his eyebrows to see how badly they were damaged.

"Ron, can we borrow Pigwidgeon?" George asked.

"No, he's off delivering a letter," Ron answered. "Why?"

"Because George wants to ask him to the ball," said Fred sarcastically.

"Who d'you two keep writing to, eh?" said Ron.

"Nose out, Ron, or I'll burn that for you too," said Fred, waving his wand threateningly. "So . . . you lot got dates for the ball yet?"

"Nope," Ron said solemnly.

"Well, you'd better hurry up, mate, or all the good ones will be gone," said Fred.

"Who're you going with, then?" said Ron.

"Good point." Fred appeared deep in thought for a moment, then turned to Naruto. "Would your female form mind going to the dance with me?" he asked graciously.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, then flashed a mischievous smirk as he made the necessary hand gesture.

"_I'm sorry, but I've already got someone else in mind,_" he cooed in his Orioke form, caressing Fred's chin seductively before henging back into his normal self.

"Well, that didn't work," George teased.

"Won't stop me," Fred retorted. "Oi! Angelina!"

"What?" she called back from across the common room.

"Want to go to the ball with me?" Fred asked, motioning his intent.

She stared at him thoughtfully, then answered, "All right, then," and resumed her conversation with a small smile on her face.

"There you go," Fred said smugly. "Piece of cake."

"Let's just use a school owl, Fred," George concluded, and the pair of them left.

"Wish it was that easy," Ron mumbled, to which Harry silently agreed.

* * *

As Christmas and the Yule Ball loomed closer and closer, the Hogwarts castle experienced a rapid transformation, as all the teachers used their skills to impress the visiting schools. The shinobi were beyond impressed with all the decorations, but still had one question.

"What's Christmas?" Naruto asked one night.

"You don't _know?_" Ron asked incredulously, then sighed. "Man, it must really bite where you guys live."

"_Anyway_," Hermione continued, fearful of Ron accidentally insulting the shinobi (which was quite possible), "Christmas is the celebration of the Christian holiday . . . "

"So people actually believe that a fat, old man dressed in red comes into their house and gives them presents?" Naruto asked in disbelief once the long explanation had been given.

"You people must believe everything you hear," Gaara noted.

"Oi! It's only for little kids!" Ron protested, not going to be insulted about some of the best years of his life. "Once you get older you don't believe in it anymore!"

"Believing in foolish dreams like that when you're little can distract you from reality, which is dangerous," Gaara pointed out.

Kakashi agreed with his two students and thought the whole Christmas idea was a joke, but going with what Hermione said, it seemed to bring people closer together and they tried to be kinder with giving presents and stuff, so for all intent and purposes, the moral idea behind it was respectable. It's just that most shinobi children (especially Naruto, Gaara, and himself) led such difficult lives from the beginning that there was no room for that sort of thing.

"So this Yule Ball is on the same night as Christmas, huh?" he asked, realizing that the topic needed to be led away from where they were going, judging from the pitying look in Hermione's eyes.

"Yes," Harry answered, his heart sinking because he knew that he and Ron _still_ didn't have dates and he had to open up the dance as a champion. Definitely not something he was looking forward to.

"Have you got dates yet?" Kakashi teased slightly, able to ascertain the meaning behind his look.

"Eh? Um—no," he answered, staring at the fire.

"You might want to do it soon," Kakashi chided. "From what Hagrid told me, you and the other champions begin the dance."

Harry groaned. "Yeah, I know."

"So are you going, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. The jounin appeared uncomfortable for a couple seconds, then nodded slowly.

"Hagrid begged me to come," he explained.

"Isn't he going to spend the whole time with Madame Maxime?" Ron asked shrewdly.

"Yes, but—"

"So you really don't _have _to go then," Harry continued, seeing where Ron was going.

"Is this true, Kakashi?" George asked, coming up behind the group.

"Sure sounded that way," Fred smirked.

"What, got your eye on someone here?"

"I've always had a feeling like there was something between him and Trelawney," Fred added with a thoughtful look on his face.

Kakashi appeared incredibly uncomfortable and he glared at the twins. "No, I am not interested in any of the woman here—I just want to see how dances are held in your culture," he admitted before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Are you guys still planning on pranking him?" Ron asked.

The twins glanced at each other wickedly. "Oh yes, dear brother," Fred began.

"We most certainly are."

* * *

Friday afternoon Gaara walked in on a very peculiar sight. Ron was sitting in the common room with his younger sister who was whispering to him kindly, and the boy looked like all the victims who had witnessed his Desert Coffin for the first time. Despite the fact that Ron was his friend, Gaara was eager to find out who or what was able to scare him so badly.

"What's up, Ron?" Harry said, having entered the common room just after Gaara. As the conversation progressed, Gaara was disappointed to realize that the reason behind Ron looking so frightened was a simple girl, and he suddenly became uninterested.

Then Ron started to dig a hole with himself with Hermione, who joined them as well.

"Just because it's taken _you _three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one _else_ has spotted I'm a girl!"

"Okay, okay, we know you're a girl," he said in a condescending manner. "That do? Will you come now?"

_Does he really believe that's going to work? _The only real interaction Gaara had with females was through Temari, and even _he _knew not to cross them, unless you wanted to get hurt. Of course, Temari would never really want to hit him, considering his Ultimate Defense would go up and she was deathly afraid of him—at least, not anymore though. Gaara wondered how Ron had missed this vital piece of information.

"I've already told you!" Hermione said angrily. "I'm going with someone else!"

"She's lying," Ron said flatly as she stormed up the stairs.

"She's not," Ginny said quietly. Gaara rolled his eyes. _I could have told him that._

"Who is it then?" said Ron sharply.

"I'm not telling you, it's her business," said Ginny.

"Right," said Ron, who looked extremely put out, "this is getting stupid. Ginny, _you_ can go with Harry, and I'll just—"

"I can't," said Ginny, and her face went red. "I'm going with—with Naruto."

"WHAT?" Ron was simply dumbfounded, and so were Gaara and Harry.

"You don't have to sound so surprised," Ginny retorted with slightly flushed cheeks. "What's wrong with going with Naruto? He's your friend too, isn't he?"

"Y-yeah, but—" Ron struggled to come up with an answer.

"I wouldn't be able to go to the dance anyway, since I'm not fourth year, and I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions," she repeated hotly before exiting through the portrait hole.

"Did you know anything about this?" Ron demanded, rounding on Gaara, who simply shrugged.

"Ron, calm down," Harry said. "It's not like he's going to do anything."

The redhead sighed and slumped back into the couch. "I know—I know. I really like Naruto and he's a great guy, it's just that—well, Ginny's my sister and I can't help but be a little overprotective, you know?" Both boys shook their head.

"I'm an only child."

"The youngest."

At that time Naruto walked through the portrait hole, looking pleased with himself. "Hey, how did asking girls go?" he asked brightly.

The two boys shrugged. "So . . . " Ron began, not really sure what to say, "you're going with Ginny?"

Naruto paled slightly and looked embarrassed. "Uh . . yeah. You're not mad—are you? I don't really know any other girls than Hermione and Ginny, and Ginny is more my age, so I—"

"It's okay," Ron smiled. "Besides, Hermione's already going with someone, not sure who," he added, sounding slightly jealous. Just then Harry noticed Parvati and Lavender enter the common room, and he decided that it was time for drastic action.

"Wait here," he said to Ron and the shinobi.

Later on that night, the Gryffindor common room became a place impossible to concentrate in, with most of the students participating in Exploding Snap or other loud games, and so many people were bursting into feather from Fred and George's Canary Creams, with some (mainly Naruto) accepting some on purpose. Gaara decided to follow Hermione's lead and go to the library, which she did about half an hour ago.

The library was (of course) relaxing and quiet, but Gaara had to stay clear of Madame Prince, because she appeared to assume that because Gaara was a foreigner that his sole purpose in life was to desecrate and steal her books. Making sure she was nowhere around, Gaara found an isolated spot in the reference section.

While he tried to relax, he found his concentration drifting over to the dance again, causing him to grit his teeth in frustration. _Why do I keep thinking about it?_ he asked himself. _Why should I even want to go? It's going to be a waste of time! _Finally, he sighed and realized that he just wanted to see what it was like. Only problem was, who should he ask? The only girl he ever really talked to was Hermione, and she was obviously going with someone. Naruto had asked Ginny, and despite what others said, he knew that he would intimidate most of the girls he'd ask, and the Jinchuuriki didn't think he could handle a rejection. All the willpower he had would last for one invitation.

Figuring the best option would be to ask someone with a similar personality, Gaara left his peaceful spot and began to walk though the aisles, trying to find a girl who was by herself and wouldn't be afraid of him. After a few minutes, he finally found the best option.

She had blond hair and was curled up in one of the armchairs, reading some newspaper (if he remembered the name correctly) and she appeared to be concentrating very hard. He remembered her from their taijutsu lessons, and she was progressing better than most. What was her name again?

As he got closer the girl peered over the top of the newspaper and smiled with a somewhat vague look.

"Hello, Gaara."

He took a slight breath. "Do you want to go to the b-ball with me?" he asked, inwardly cringing.

Her face lit up and she smiled pleasantly. "Oh, I'd love to!" She immediately rolled up her newspaper and gestured to the chair across from her. "Please sit down."

Feeling awkward, Gaara sat down and wondered what he was supposed to say.

"Did it hurt?" she asked, staring at him intently.

Gaara frowned. "Did what hurt?"

"When the Axlelics attacked you."

Now he was completely confused. "Axle-lics?"

"They are a rare type of leech that flies around and suck your eyebrows off," she explained matter-of-factly. "It's a very unfortunate thing to happen, but I've never really seen a person with such a bad case before."

"I don't think we have those kind of creatures where I'm from," he explained. He wondered if Axlelics were real or not, but considering he didn't live in this world, he could be wrong.

"Hmm, I guess not. What is it like where you're from then?" she asked kindly, giving him her full attention.

As Gaara began to explain, he found himself enjoying to talk to Luna (that was her name, wasn't it?) because she didn't seem to be afraid of him, wasn't trying to pity him, and while something seemed to be slightly off about her, in a roundabout way she reminded him of himself. He felt bad because she most likely didn't have many friends like him either, if that were the case.

At any rate, he was going to the dance.

* * *

On Christmas morning, Naruto and Kakashi were startled to see three piles of presents in their room.

"What are these doing here?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"I think they're for us," Kakashi decided as he inched closer to them, being sure to avoid any possible threats.

"OI! Gaara!" Naruto bellowed. "Come up here!" The Suna Jinchuuriki appeared in the next second, not even giving his sand time to settle as he stepped forward.

"What's wrong?" he asked in concern, scouting the area for any signs of danger.

"It _is _Christmas," Kakashi said slowly. "I think they're safe."

"Why would anyone give us presents?" Gaara wondered.

The other shinobi shrugged and they simply walked to their respective pile and began inspecting each present.

Naruto opened his with the greatest anticipation and received: a game of Exploding Snap from Harry, ramen from Dobby, a Gryffindor scarf from Ron, a box of prank candy from Fred and George (along with a note explaining what each of their inventions did), a green sweater with the Konoha symbol on it from a Mrs. Weasley (whom he guessed was Ron's mother, though why should would make a beautiful sweater for someone she never even met he would never know—but it was nice all the same to have a handmade sweater), a Japanese version of Quidditch Through the Ages from Hermione, Fizzing Whizbees from Hagrid, Chocolate Frogs from Neville, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from Ginny.

Gaara received: a set of Wizard's chess from Harry, butterbeer from Dobby, a Gryffindor scarf from Ron, a box of prank candy from Fred and George (also with a note), a red sweater with the Suna symbol on it from Ron's mother (upon realizing it was handmade he simply stared at it, having never received _anything_ handmade before), a large book written in English and then a smaller one that said it was an English/Japanese dictionary from Hermione (along with a note that explained the bigger book was a children storybook entitled The Tales of Beetle the Bard and that it was something to keep him busy at night), Blood Pops from Hagrid, Pumpkin Pastries from Neville, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from Ginny.

Kakashi's pile consisted of: a set of Wizard's chess from Harry, real sake from Dobby (how the little elf was able to make it was beyond him, and he appreciated the gesture even though he had met the curious creature briefly), a Gryffindor scarf from Ron, some sort of box from the twins (though he still remembered the challenge he had given them and wasn't about to be defeated so easily; he set that one down gently), a blue sweater with the Konoha symbol on it from Mrs. Weasley (he fingered it gently, fighting back the memories of his deceased mother helping him into his own sweater as he tried to go out and train at age three), Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them from Hermione, gloves from Hagrid (which, according to the note, were made of dragon leather), Acid Pops from Neville (he guessed the poor boy still felt bad about bringing them here), and some Chocolate Frogs from Ginny.

The whole time the shinobi unveiled their presents it was completely silent, each of them wrapped in their own thoughts, too shocked to say anything.

Why were they doing this? They had only known these people for a few months and they were from an entirely different culture—yet they were giving them gifts!

They looked up suddenly as they heard the wizards emerge from their dormitories to go have breakfast, so they hastily pulled the sweaters over themselves and left to meet them. Harry was wearing a green sweater with a Hungarian Horntail on it and Ron's was maroon.

"Well, don't you look nice," Harry teased.

"Thank you very much," the three shinobi proclaimed politely, each bowing slightly. The wizards were taken back slightly. Sure, they were expecting a thank you, but a bow like that seemed a little overboard and it made them uncomfortable.

"Eh—don't mention it," Ron chuckled.

"We're really sorry that we do not have presents for you," Naruto informed them in embarrassment. "I guess we still don't understand this holiday."

"It's really all right," Hermione said quickly. _Have they never received presents before?_ "You guys have already done so much for us; teaching us taijutsu—"

"—playing that trick on Malfoy—" Ron sniggered, smiling as the memory came flooding back.

"—and making a fool out of Rita Skeeter," Harry finished.

"There's no need to apologize," Neville said.

"Let's have breakfast already!" Ron complained, clutching his stomach as he did so, earning a sigh from Hermione.

"Fine, we'd better go before Ronald starts eating his sweater," she grumbled.

It was the most spectacular breakfast most of the students had ever encountered, and many walked back to their dormitories completely stuffed. After a quick nap people either stayed in their rooms or met in the common rooms to enjoy their presents, and then the lunch that day was equally magnificent, complete with turkeys and Christmas pudding, and after that everyone went onto the grounds.

There were a lot of mini snowball fights being held all over the grounds, and Naruto was content to fight without his clones and he and Gaara were currently engaged in battling the other wizards when Hermione left at five o'clock to get ready for the dance.

"What, you need three hours?" said Ron, looking at her incredulously and paid for his lapse in concentration when a large snowball, thrown by Naruto, hit him hard on the side of the head. "Who're you going with?" he yelled after Hermione, but she just waved and disappeared up the stone steps into the castle.

"Stupid girls," he muttered as he watched her leave. "I mean, who honestly needs to take three hours to get ready?"

"You'd be surprised," Gaara informed him, making a snowball as he did so. "My older sister Temari never really cares about how she looks, but when she goes on a date she spends forever getting ready."

"When has she gone on any dates?" Naruto asked, aiming for Neville.

"She went on one while we were healing in Konoha, and she kept asking me how she looked, but she wouldn't say who, but I followed her around with the Third Eye," Gaara admitted without any shame at all. "It was Shikamaru."

"Nani?" Naruto's shock caused him to throw the snowball off balance and instead of hitting Neville like he wanted it to, the ball of ice collided with a nearby tree.

"Shikamaru went on a date with Temari?" Gaara nodded. Naruto's mischievous grin crept on his face. He was going to _enjoy _teasing the lazy bastard about that one!

Finally, the time of the Yule Ball had finally come. Once the snowball fight was over all the boys retreated to their rooms to use the last half-hour to prepare. Not having anything to really wear, the shinobi decided to use a simple henge for the night. They each stood in front of the mirror and did their best to find a color and design that matched them best and would go along with the dresses their dates would wear.

All three had opted for a cross between dress robes and a tuxedo that Kakashi had found in a book, finding the dress robe design to be slightly ridiculous. Naruto's were black with a yellow and blue tie as well as an upturned collar (he still wore his Hitai-ate though), Gaara's were white with a red tie, and Kakashi wore a deep blue with a darker shirt underneath that matched his mask and a gray tie. Once the shinobi were thoroughly pleased with their choices, they walked to the common room to meet up with the others.

"Even _they _look nicer than me!" Ron wailed as they came into view. The shinobi simply stared, wondering whether or not they should consider that an insult and punish him, yet once they got a good look at his clothes, they figured he was suffering enough.

A few minutes later all the girls came down, and Ginny walked up to Naruto sheepishly, wearing beautiful cerulean robes that matched Naruto's eye color perfectly along with a deep green section of material that ran from her waist down to the end of the dress in the front. Her hair was also straightened and tied back into a half-pony and there were jewels scattered throughout the hair that was pulled back.

"You look very beautiful," Naruto blushed.

Ginny smiled warmly. "I also like your outfit; it looks better than the regular dress robes."

Feeling a burst of chivalry, Naruto held out his arm like he had seen other boys do and was delighted when Ginny looped her arm through his.

He was going to enjoy this!

Kakashi and Gaara continued on their way, since Luna was in Ravenclaw and Kakashi didn't have a formal date. They watched as Harry and Ron met up with their dates (feeling sorry for Ron as Padma looked at him in slight disbelief) and tried to search for Hermione, but were unable to. Neville was escorting a girl named Kriszty, and they had a pleasant conversation as they made their way to the Great Hall.

She was from Gryffindor and was tall with long brown hair, blue eyes, and had a slight Russian accent coupled with her English one, which she informed them was due to the fact that her mother was Russian and she had spent a couple years there before moving to England. Turns out she was partners with Neville a few times in Herbology and shared his aptitude for the subject. Needless to say, he seemed happier than usual.

"Hi, Gaara!" Luna called out happily as they neared the Great Hall. Her blond hair was in curls and pushed back slightly by a red headband, and she wore dark red robes with a lighter colored sash around her waist. The only . . . interesting thing she wore were her earrings, which were thin and gold-plated, but twisted into a very peculiar shape. When he asked her about it she said that it was a anti-Charklem charm.

"They like to be near places with a lot of dancing people, so it's best to just be on the safe side," she informed him. As they continued their walk Gaara noticed some people giving them strange looks but after being used to it his whole life didn't feel the need to care. Luna certainly didn't, so why should he?

As they waited for the Great Hall doors to open, Kakashi began to feel very self-conscious, being about a foot taller than some of the students and not having a partner, and he swore he saw a couple girls look at him and giggle, making him all the more uncomfortable. He prayed the doors would open soon so he could join Hagrid.

Finally McGonagall called all the champions over to her and the rest of the students were permitted to walk on through. All three shinobi were astonished at Hermione's appearance as they walked past the champions, never expecting to see her with Krum, but each greeted her happily and she beamed in return. Gaara, however, noticed Ron's reaction and wondered what would become of this.

Kakashi immediately went to join the other teachers, and they nodded at his presence (was it just him or was Dumbledore fighting back a laugh?). He found Hagrid and Madame Maxime and felt oddly small, just like a little kid again at the last dance. He just prayed nothing would go wrong this time.

Meanwhile, the genin sat down at a table with their dates along with Neville, Seamus, Ron, and Dean and their female counterparts. All the tables were covered in white satin and there were gold plates in front of them with matching gold utensils. What was peculiar was that there menus on the tables, but no waiters. (Gaara and Naruto easily transcribed their menus into kanji) Only when Dumbledore spoke his order to his plate did everyone else know what to do.

The dinner was very nice and pleasurable, except for the occasional glares Ron sent Hermione's way, yet she was so engrossed in her conversation with Krum that she didn't notice. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, save the occasional awkward pause after Luna said something peculiar, but on a whole the group enjoyed getting to know some new faces and discuss the tournament.

"So are you going to help out with the second task as well?" Ginny asked Naruto as she finished her salad.

The shinobi nodded, his mouth too full of ramen to speak. (Dobby was most likely the one who made it for him, seeing as how it wasn't on the menu)

"Do you know what the challenge is going to be?" Kriszty asked excitedly.

Gaara shook his head. "Kakashi hasn't told us the specifics, just that he'd need our help. I don't think he wants to get the word out accidentally."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Naruto demanded, appearing affronted.

"It means he knows that you couldn't keep your mouth shut!" Seamus teased as he cut his steak.

"I can _too _keep secrets!" the blond protested. "Just—not very long," he added quietly. Dean and Seamus laughed heartily.

"I wish they would hurry up and start the dance!" Dean's date, Katie whined.

The two shinobi gulped and glanced at each other. They had practically forgotten about the dancing part! "Oi, Gaara," Naruto whispered. "How do you think you'll do?"

"Horribly," he whispered back.

Naruto smirked. "It doesn't matter! Just have fun. I think I've got it down though," he said smugly. Gaara seriously doubted him.

"Right."

Finally it was time for the dance to start, and everyone watched as the champions started the dance. Ron simply looked away angrily, trying to distract him with the decorations.

Kakashi merely sat back at the table where all the teachers were sitting and amused himself with how Harry was holding up with Parvati (she was obviously leading him when it should have been the other way around) and then watched as his two students held up. Gaara nervously led Luna out to the floor and was clumsy at first, but she was patient and kindly helped him and soon they were moving eloquently. Naruto, on the other hand, led Ginny out boisterously and his dancing style wasn't too bad (he did see Ginny wince every once and a while in the beginning) and the only ones dancing more exuberantly than them were Fred and Angelina. Ginny was laughing the whole time, so at least she was enjoying herself. Naruto certainly was.

Hagrid and Madame Maxime had left to dance almost as soon as the dance began (after Dumbledore had asked her to dance and it was only fitting, seeing as how they were both headmasters) and now Kakashi was alone, and he was contemplating an escape now that he saw his students were having a good time.

However, it appeared that the gods believed he wouldn't go off so easily.

"W-would you like to dance?" Professor Trewlaney asked timidly. She had been sitting by herself on the other end of the table, wringing her hands nervously and muttering some type of nonsense words from what Kakashi could hear.

He resisted the strong urge to grimace but he smiled politely and accepted the offer, feeling foolish for once again having the girl ask him.

He wasn't able to escape for the next six songs. Teacher after teacher came up to him, asking for a dance, and he had no choice but to accept, because it would be very rude not to. The worst was dancing with Professor Sprout, who was three sizes too small for him! Thankfully most of the children were too focused on their dates to notice, but those who did sniggered at him.

Later on in the dance Naruto and Gaara sat down with their dates for some drinks, and were soon joined by Fred and George with their respective dates.

"Kakashi-sensei's dancing?" Naruto exclaimed, his expression one of clear mirth. "I didn't think he'd ask anyone!"

"He didn't," George smirked.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"We let it 'slip' to all the female teachers that he was very shy and really wanted to dance but wasn't sure if he could do it, being a foreigner and all," Fred explained.

"So you did just what Obito did?" the blond surmised in amazement. The twins nodded.

"All that's left is—"

"McGonagall!"

The group of eight watched as the Deputy Headmistress made her way over to Kakashi who was just about to escape and ask him to dance. Despite his cordial acceptance, the youth could see his horror and when he saw Fred and George, they merely laughed and waved back at him, and upon realizing what they did, he narrowed his eyes at them.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Fred chortled, slapping George on the back.

"That was your prank?" Angelina asked.

"Not entirely so, m'dear," George informed them. "You see, a true prankster gets their prey into a false sense of security before striking. Kakashi may _think_ that this was our prank, but to be honest we've got an even bigger thing planned."

"What is it? Tell me!" Naruto pleaded.

The two shook their heads solemnly. "Can't tell you just yet, young apprentice. Just be sure to watch and learn."

"You're gonna want to remember it for the rest of your life," George sighed in content.

* * *

iAlly **drew some fanart for this chapter! Thank you so much and I urge you all to check out her drawing! It's really good, the link can be found in my profile.  
**

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the dancing choices! I originally wanted Naruto to go with Gabrielle, but I looked back and saw that she was about eight years old, and that obviously wasn't going to work, so I figured Ginny was the best option. For Gaara, Luna seems like the perfect choice because they have they sort of same personality, and I just think they would look cute together at the ball. No, there isn't going to be much more romance than this, because we all know Ginny is in love with Harry and as for Luna and Gaara they will continue to have a great friendship, but if you want to look into it more, then be my guest.**


	15. Secrets and Clues

**Greetings! Ahem—would you mind taking this as an early Thanksgiving present? Sorry it was another two month wait. College is killer and a job makes it all the worse. I'm doing as much overtime as I can at my work so I can afford Christmas presents. I miss my family so much and I really want to make our short 13 days together after not seeing them for four months to be memorable. **

**Anyways, I was incredibly grateful for all your support and kindness on the wonderful reviews I received last chapter!!! They really warmed my heart and lots of them arrived at times that I really needed a little pick-me-up. You super-amazing people are: **Caranina, cardcaptor eternity, KatonRyuuka, Moonfayth, MadnessLover, Shadowzerover5, Fox Loves Shinigami, Lilly Yamamoto, [blank], MikoKriszty, r2d2cool, FallenAngelsFeelNoLove, pamellka, Diamonds-r-4ever-so-am-i, AvatardsUnite MM, HelKat, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, whiteinu1, Tsukia13, Sakamoto Michiko, Hindu Goddess, Madeline Cullen, A Bibliophile, xX Naru Fantasy Xx, Erendhyl, Ashley, Uzumaki Naruko14, Byakugan789, Jumpingbeans480, Lunatic Panddora1, candyman123, GoldenKitsuneHime13, darthgamer, Megaolix, Poet Bucky, ArrangedloveMatch, ShadowHeart251, shadow shinobi57, Dezy-X29, Tuffy Sinth, sugarcrazedninja, Kakashifangirlnumber1000, Lord Dragon Claw, Wolf05, PaddysGal, master of cheese graters, Stickman-sam, Magestig20, bored wonder, neko-kougal, Stalker of Stories (2), FantomoDrako, Hydok, **and **dragoncrazy247 (14)!

**And now—the 600****th **_**and **_**650****th**** reviewer!! Yay! The 600****th**** reviewer was **yuroshima** and as a prize, here are a batch of chocolate chip cookies! Enjoy and thanks so much!**

**The 650****th**** reviewer was **dragoncrazy247**! She not only wrote the 650th review but went through and reviewed all 14 chapters!!! Hurray! For this she gets a nice pumpkin pie with ice cream and whipped cream! I'd also like to thank **A Bibiophile **and **MikoKriszty **again for continuing to review every chapter! Here's some pumpkin pie for you as well!**

**I don't think I can promise as long of a chapter as last time, but I'll see how I do. Cheers!**

* * *

**Note: The **_**real **_**prank that Fred and George have in store for Kakashi isn't going to happen for a while, so sorry! Don't worry, I've got great plans for it, so the wait will be worth it . . . I hope. Besides, I think you'll find what happens in this chapter to be enough to tide you over. (-major grin-)**

**I'd also like to thank my new beta **cardcaptor eternity **who has graciously agreed to check over my work and make sure that it's good enough for my lovely readers! Arigato!**

* * *

Naruto settled happily on his four-poster bed, mulling over the dance. He had an amazing time with Ginny and it was coincidentally the first date he had been on—since Sakura had never accepted his proposals. The genin still had feelings for his fellow teammate, but it was nice to have someone _want_ to be with him for once. Naruto was sure that Sakura would warm up to him eventually—so all that was left up to him was to wait patiently.

Once the dancing had started, Naruto had lost track of the other wizards but as he and Ginny left when it got too late, they saw that there was a heated argument going on between Ron and Hermione.

"What's wrong with them?" Naruto asked, completely bewildered at the furious expressions on their faces.

Ginny sighed. "It's a long story and this sort of thing happens on and off. Ron is too much of a git to understand what's going on, and Hermione is too proud to admit her feelings."

"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!" Hermione screamed, eyes glistening as she spun around and ran up the staircase into the girl's dormitory.

"I've got to go help her," Ginny explained, her tone a mixture of concern and distress. "Thank you so much—I had a great time!" she smiled before kissing Naruto lightly on the cheek and ran after Hermione.

Naruto's mouth fell open and a slight blush appeared on his cheeks, followed by a toothy grin that Konoha shinobi would liken to Jiraiya.

"Forgetting about Sakura so soon, eh?" Kakashi grunted behind him, startling the genin.

"Nani?! No, I-I . . . " Naruto struggled to come up with an answer, but turned the tables on Kakashi.

"Enjoyed dancing with McGonagall?" he teased, elbowing his sensei in the ribs. Kakashi glared at him so intensely that Naruto gulped and rubbed the back on his neck nervously in an attempt to deflect the anger directed at him.

"I _knew_ I shouldn't have told that story!" he groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead as he slumped into a nearby chair. Despite the fact that his sensei was in obvious distress Naruto couldn't help but delight in it. The jounin's tie was loosely flopped against his slightly rumpled suit and his hair was out of place (not that you could really tell) which added to his disheveled look.

"Did something _else_ happen?" Naruto prodded, in reference to his unkempt look.

Kakashi's visible eye practically threw kunai at Naruto but then replied, "No. Once I finally got away from the teachers there were a lot of younger girls practically harassing me for a dance, and then Fred and George kept pestering me about their 'prank'."

"Are you going to get them back?" the blonde asked with obvious excitement as he leaned towards his sensei, hands on the armrest. Kakashi raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"It's time those boys learn the second half of the story."

* * *

With the excitement of the Yule Ball over, everyone seemed to remember that they had homework to do, and spent the rest of the holiday break before term catching up. The happy cheer that hung in the air was now replaced by a growing sense of dread.

Naruto was having a hard time with the homework, seeing as how he neglected it a lot the few years he spent in the Ninja Academy.

"Mental training is just as important as physical training," Kakashi reminded the genin as he flipped through the pages of a book that appeared to be all about magical experiments gone awry.

"I prefer physical training," Naruto mumbled as he glared at the transcribed homework before him. "We're not even from around here! Why do we have to do the homework anyway?"

"Because it couldn't hurt to learn new things," Kakashi sighed. "You might find something in here that could help you in battle later on. Speaking of that, have you paid any thought to a new jutsu yet?"

The genin's expression brightened as he was reminded about his exciting task, but then it fell.

"No," he admitted truthfully. "I haven't had that much time to think about it yet." He had spent quite a few nights trying to come up with something, but to no avail. This distressed the shinobi greatly because he had a reputation to consider. Wasn't he the greatest prankster in all of Konoha? He wouldn't be able to look himself in the mirror if they returned home whenever they did and he didn't have anything to show for it.

But this just made him all the more determined to create a new jutsu. All it needed was the perfect moment, and he just needed to sit by and wait for it to come along and then take advantage of it.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei? When can we go train in the Forbidden Forest?" Naruto asked eagerly, desperate for a distraction. Plus, the snow wasn't going to last forever and he wanted to take as much advantage of it as he possibly could.

Kakashi laid the book on his lap and appeared to look thoughtful. "How about after you're done with that Divination homework?" Naruto stuck his tongue out at his sensei but realized he might as well get going on it.

"You should have quit when I did," Gaara said as he worked on trying to read a Herbology book in English. Not being able to sleep meant Gaara usually had his homework done sooner than most and he rather enjoyed it because it made the time pass by quickly. When he wasn't doing homework he did his best to learn English, using the book that Hermione gave him for Christmas as a guide. He was getting better at reading it, but the problem was speaking it.

He would take off his hitai-ate at various points in the day and strain his ears to be able to interpret the sounds that the wizards made and tried to connect them with the words he read, but so far that was proving to be more difficult than he thought. Just meant he had to try harder.

* * *

At time long last the break was over and everyone had to go back to classes. Everything went about the same as always, until Care of Magical Creatures class, where instead of meeting up with Hagrid, there was an elderly woman who acted so much like a drill sergeant the wizards briefly wondered if they stumbled across a brand-new army class.

"Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago," she barked.

"Who're you?" Ron asked, staring up at her. "Where's Hagrid?"

"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank," she replied hotly. "I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated loudly.

"He is indisposed," said the woman shortly before turning her attention to the rest of the class.

"What does _indisposed _mean?" Naruto asked, scratching his head at the woman's explanation.

"It means he is unfit for work," Kakashi's voice said behind them, causing the wizards and shinobi to turn around.

"And why are you here so late?" Naruto scolded.

Kakashi nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Old habits die hard?"

He _had_ been very good at being quite prompt on most everything he had to attend so far in this wizarding world, only because he was seeing it as some sort of mission, concerning himself with learning as much magic as he could and learning all about the wizards that the library would allow, as well as keeping up on the two genin and holding his weekly taijutsu class. Plus, there were the occasional visits with Hagrid that he enjoyed.

The chief excuse was because his primary reason for being late was gone. There was no memorial stone to spend hours at, mourning the loss of his friends and telling Obito all about the previous day and trying to ease the pain and guilt in his heart that he knew could never be washed away. To be honest the lack of it was starting to trouble him, but he had been on extended missions before, yet at those times he was constantly on the move or learning about the enemy. At Hogwarts it was a lot more lax and other than the brief problem with Naruto and Gaara with that boggart, things had been relatively quiet. Kakashi was dying for some action.

"Sure," Naruto sneered, all too used to his sensei's excuses.

"Do you know what's wrong with Hagrid?" Neville asked the jounin, concern etched on his face. Kakashi shrugged.

"I was going to help him out with his class today, so I have no idea," he admitted truthfully.

"Would you mind focusing your attention on the class?" Professor Grubby-Plank called after them angrily, her eyes narrowing at Kakashi's outlandish look with obvious disapproval.

The wizards quickly caught up with the strict teacher and wondered what would happen in the lesson. Their questions were answered when they laid eyes on the pure white unicorns tethered to a tree on the edge of the forest, to the obvious approval of the females in the class.

"Boys keep back!" their substitute barked again. "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it . . . " Once she saw that the girls were kept under control she strode over to the shinobi and wizards.

"I can tell you are not a student so might I ask what you are doing here?" she snapped at Kakashi.

The jounin didn't even appear fazed. "You are correct, I am not a student, but I have been given permission by Dumbledore-sama to attend any classes I see fit for educational purposes. I usually assist Hagrid in his classes. You could say I'm here on diplomatic immunity," he added with a small chuckle.

Kakashi recalled the event where he had to escort the daimyo and his son around Konoha on one occasion and it was not pleasant. Being the supreme ruler seemed to give the man and his son a sense of obligation to do whatever they felt like and it was only due to Kakashi's years in ANBU that he resisted the urge to strangle the two when their prodding and continuous disapproval of one so young accompanying him, along with everything else they saw. However, they weren't total morons because they understood the importance of the shinobi village, and knew without it there would be trouble from all the other country's shinobi.

The woman frowned, obviously not pleased with the answer but knew she could do nothing of it. "Well, I can assure you that I don't need any help," she announced before briskly turning her attention to the girls petting the unicorns.

"Charming, isn't she?" Ron scowled.

"So, Hagrid didn't tell you ahead of time that he was going to be sick?" Harry asked the jounin.

"Huh? No . . . he didn't," Kakashi replied, seemingly distracted by the unicorns. "I'll be right back."

Everyone but Naruto raised an eyebrow as the jounin calmly but eagerly made his way over to the unicorns, his movements monitored closely by Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"I'm _sorry_ but you might not have heard that I announced that unicorns prefer a woman's touch—" she began as she stepped in front of Kakashi.

"No, you were quite clear," he said, cutting her off.

"Then why are you—"

"Because I want to," he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. When it appeared that the teacher was about to protest he raised a visible eyebrow.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" he asked quietly, giving the woman a little taste of the intimidation that he reserved for his enemies on the battlefield. Her eyes widened and she started shaking slightly but didn't make a move as Kakashi walked past her. The girls who were nearby had gotten a little taste of what he unleashed at Professor Grubbly-Plank as well and they shrunk back from the line, giving him a wide berth to the unicorns that waited patiently.

"Why, thank you," he smiled as he made his way to the unicorns, who instead of trying to get away from him actually moved forward and were delighted at his touch.

"Merlin's beard," Ron whistled.

"He's got a thing for animals," Naruto chuckled. "He even commands a whole ninken squad, which is basically a group of ninja hounds," he explained.

"But what's up with Hagrid?" Harry wondered aloud. "You don't think a skrewt—"

"Oh he hasn't been attacked, Potter, if that's what you're thinking," Malfoy said softly. "No, he's just too ashamed to show his big, ugly face."

"What d'you mean?" said Harry sharply as Naruto cracked his knuckles while grinning at Malfoy dangerously.

The boy gulped and hastily pulled out a folded newspaper. "There you go," he said somewhat shakily. "Hate to break it to you, Potter . . . "

Harry immediately snatched it and began reading, with Ron, Seamus, Dean, Neville, Naruto, and Gaara peering over his shoulder. Naruto had no idea what any of it said, but he didn't want to be left out. Gaara's brow was furrowed as he struggled to read the small print. He was able to catch some words, like "Dumbledore" and "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" but not enough for him to understand what the article spoke about.

"What did it say?" Naruto begged once he saw that the wizards were all finished. By the looks on their faces, it wasn't good.

"What d'you mean, 'we all hate Hagrid'?" Harry spat at Malfoy. "What's this rubbish about _him _getting a bad bite off a flobberworm? They haven't even got teeth!" he growled, pointing at Crabbe who sniggered with pleasure.

"What did it say!" Naruto demanded, irritated that no one would answer him.

His plea went unheeded as Harry and Malfoy continued to bicker, so Naruto just snatched the newspaper from Harry and translated it into kanji with the help of his wand and he and Gaara read through it quickly.

"Half-giant?" he said incredulously.

"Yes," Malfoy said smugly. "Now all the mummies and daddies are going to think he'll eat their kids—"

"That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed, to the disbelief and disgusted look on Malfoy's face.

"You _honestly_ think that's cool?"

"I've never met a half-giant before—not even a full one!" Naruto recalled hearing stories about shinobi who met and fought giants, but as he grew up everyone just laughed and told him that giants didn't exist, much to his disappointment. Apparently they really existed here.

"How can you—"

"Are you paying attention over there?"

Everyone turned their attention to Professor Grubbly-Plank who was starting to explain all the magical properties of unicorns, looking rather nervous as Kakashi past her, done with petting the unicorns.

"Enjoy yourself?" Naruto smirked as he came closer. Kakashi narrowed his eyes and treated his student to some of what he unleashed on Professor Grubby-Plank, causing the nearby wizards to squirm. The two genin were hardly affected, seeing as how they dealt with the feeling all the time simply due to their experiences as shinobi.

_Bloody hell, how does he do that? _Ron wondered as he failed in suppressing a shudder.

Kakashi smiled. "I guess I'll go and try to see what's bothering Hagrid then," he announced before disappearing, leaving them all to the rest of their charming lesson.

Later on that night, all the wizards could do was talk about Hagrid.

"I still don't get what's so bad about him being half-giant," Naruto said.

"Well, according to history there have been no . . . _nice_ giants," Hermione said weakly.

"It's in their nature to kill and they're very vicious," Ron continued.

Gaara suddenly found himself very self-conscious and uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going.

"They're basically monst—" Ron immediately regretted what he said and covered his mouth in horror, wishing he could take back the last few seconds. Hermione bit her lip and Harry cringed as the two shinobi suddenly became extremely quiet with their gaze fixated on the floor, with Naruto's fists clenched and it looked like there was a little bit of sand coming out of Gaara's robes.

Thankfully the awkward silence was interrupted by the now familiar _poof_ that announced Kakashi's arrival.

"Did you speak with him?" Harry asked quickly, eager to divert the subject.

"No, I was not able to. He wouldn't let me in," Kakashi sighed. "I knew he was there—all my senses confirmed it. I could have easily gotten in, but then that would have been rude. I did talk to Dumbledore-sama about it though," he added as he noticed their crestfallen faces.

"Let's hope he can talk some sense into him," Hermione said.

* * *

A few days passed, and still no word from Hagrid. The Gryffindors were starting to get concerned, but there wasn't much they could do. Daily life continued on as always.

"I'm so sick of all this bloody homework!" Ron whined one afternoon. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"There really isn't that much of a difference compared to all the previous years," she scoffed. "Why blow up about it now?"

"I need a break," he announced as if he didn't hear her.

"We _just_ got off of vacation!" she said incredulously. "How are you going to last the rest of the school year?"

"Don't know, don't care," he answered cryptically. "Where's Naruto?"

"He's with Gaara and Kakashi, training in the forest I think," Harry said offhandedly and he tried to focus on his Potions essay about the positive and negative historical effects that came from the development of Veritaserum.

"Let's go see what their training is like!" Ron proclaimed eagerly.

"Who was the one who never wanted to step foot into the Forbidden Forest again?" Hermione pointed out.

"As long as it's not too deep in," Ron admitted. "Why not? Aren't you interested in seeing all that they can do?"

"B-but how will we even _find_ them?" Hermione asked, struggling with her intense curiosity and feeling of what was proper.

"The Marauder's Map!" the redhead explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It should cover the Forbidden Forest, right Harry?"

Harry nodded, eager for an attempt to stall his essay as long as possible. "I'll go get it."

"I can't _believe_ you guys are going to go through with this," Hermione muttered as she tried to focus on her Ancient Runes reading.

"Come on Hermione—I know you want to just as much as we do," he teased. After a few seconds she sighed and slammed her book shut, her lower lip protruding slightly as she resigned herself to defeat.

"I've got it!" Harry said excitedly, and his two friends encircled him as he said the magic words. "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."_ They waited as the ink danced around the parchment and quickly scanned the Forbidden Forest.

"There they are!" Ron exclaimed, pointing to the three dots that were moving so fast at times it was hard to distinguish their names. He was relieved that they weren't too far from the edge of the forest.

"That's not that far from the Quidditch field and Hagrid's hut," Hermione noted.

"Let's go then!" Ron said as he hastily scooped up his homework and pulled on his jacket.

"Can't they—you know . . . _sense_ us?" Hermione worried.

"She's right you know," Harry agreed. "Remember how Gaara was able to tell it was us from under the Invisibility Cloak?"

Ron frowned for a moment, then shrugged. "I get what you're saying, but did you see how fast they're moving? I doubt that they will even notice us." Harry and Hermione glanced at each other and Harry shrugged before putting on his jacket and scarf, yet Hermione still couldn't help but feel as if despite being that focused on their training they would still be able to sense them. She had reluctantly learned never to underestimate the strange shinobi.

* * *

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

_"Jibaku Fuda: Kassei!" _

The wizards were alarmed as they heard several explosions followed by cries that sound like a lot of Narutos and the strange popping sound they had learned to attribute to his clones being dispersed. Wondering what could have happened they quickly jogged the rest of the way, being careful underneath the Invisibility Cloak. Although being invisible didn't do much seeing as how they could smell and hear them, the wizards still felt more concealed with it.

Ducking behind a bush, the three wizards' mouths fell open as they gazed at the scene before them. The smoke from the explosions was slowly ebbing away to reveal Gaara's sand detaching from the dome it had created around him and Naruto was slowly pushing himself off of the ground, his clothes slightly singed while Kakashi was standing before them in a defensive position.

"_Don't tell me you two didn't notice those exploding tags I hid?_" he mocked. Harry and Ron quickly glanced at Hermione and she hastily gave a rough translation.

"Exploding tags?"

The two genin didn't answer but instead attacked the jounin with renewed vigor. Gaara sent his sand chasing after the jounin while guiding it gracefully in an almost mesmerizing dance, all the while trying to force the jounin into Naruto's path. The blonde created a few more bunshin and some raced forward to engage in taijutsu, then a few others came after him with brandished kunai in hand once the first group failed. The clang of metal against metal rang through the air as Kakashi fought five bunshin with a kunai in each hand, all the while avoiding Gaara's sand and using it to his advantage by forcefully putting the bunshin in the path of the intruding sand.

Suddenly the wizards heard a strange noise that sounded like some obscure swirling machine, and their mouths dropped when they saw the sphere of blue energy in the hands of two Narutos, and gasped when it made contact with Kakashi. The teacher went rigid for a second but then he was covered in a puff of smoke and when it gave away the swirling sphere simply shattered a log. Naruto growled angrily and hastily glanced all around him, trying to spot his sensei.

After a few seconds had passed the genin quickly jumped up and did a couple back flips not a second before the ground beneath him shattered and Kakashi emerged, slicing a kunai through the air where Naruto had been. However, he hadn't even completely emerged from the ground when Gaara's sand quickly wrapped itself around his torso and Gaara threw Kakashi in the air and then onto the ground like one would with a whip.

As Kakashi made contact with the ground he dispersed in a cloud of smoke, letting the wizards know that it must have been another clone and they scanned the area for where the true Kakashi would be.

"_Let's see how your taijutsu is." _The wizards whipped their attention to Gaara who had Kakashi standing behind him. The genin adjusted his footing and surprisingly Kakashi's attacks made contact with sand that suddenly appeared in front of Gaara in protection without him moving it at all.

"How's that happening?" Ron whispered.

"_Try to fight back Shukaku's protection,_" Kakashi sighed, as he continued to fight the sand. "_You'll never improve if you continually rely on the sand shield to protect you. Remember what happened with Lee?"_

Gaara didn't answer but clenched his jaw and furrowed his brow in concentration, then did his best to block Kakashi's kicks and blows. At one point it became too much for him and he was thrown backwards only to have his sand catch him as he slid on the ground.

"_Take this!"_ Naruto called as he leapt quite a couple yards into the air along with a clone which he changed into a peculiar metal star with four curved blades and tossed it towards the jounin. It spun so fast that the blades all blended together and the wizards gulped as they realized that at that speed the weapon would most likely slice through an entire limb without much resistance.

Kakashi took a small step back, then ducked just as the weapon came whizzing at him but just as it was above him he stuck his hand upwards and miraculously caught it by the small circle in the middle. Once he had a good grip on it he then jumped into the air and threw it back towards Naruto, who obviously couldn't duck in time but he was saved when Gaara's sand pulled him down out of the path.

"_Make sure to dispel your clone," _Kakashi sighed, not in the least bit tired. Naruto quickly formed a seal and the shuriken disappeared.

The battle continued on for about half an hour, but the wizards barely noticed, too mesmerized by the beauty of their seemingly impossible abilities. They had no words to describe what they had seen, and were simply aghast at it, now almost fully understanding the true capabilities of the shinobi. Who knew they could be so dangerous and powerful?

As the sure signs of dusk streamed from the treetops, Kakashi called for a halt in their training, which Naruto and Gaara were apparently quite grateful for. Naruto dispelled the remaining three clones and collapsed on the ground, panting heavily as beads of sweat ran down his forehead. Gaara walked to a nearby tree that was now more of a stump and slid down it, trying to catch his breath. Kakashi simply leaned against a half-shattered tree and focused on calming down his heart rate, yet for all the wizards could tell he was barely winded.

"So are you guys going to stay there forever or are we going to have to drag you out?" the jounin smirked, looking in their direction. The wizards tensed as they realized they were caught, but begrudgingly emerged from their hiding spot with Harry pocketing the cloak.

"How long did you know we were there?" Hermione sheepishly asked.

"Since the beginning," Kakashi said truthfully and he made his way over to them with his hands in his pockets. They looked at Gaara and he gave them a slight nod, while Naruto continued to lie on the floor. "Oi!" Kakashi chided, nudging Naruto with his foot. "You have the greatest stamina of anyone I know. Why're you acting exhausted?"

"R—ramen!" the blonde whined, causing his sensei to roll his eye.

"Figures," he mumbled but couldn't help smiling. "I'm sure Dobby can make you some."

As if that was the magic phrase Naruto leapt off the ground with so much energy it was as if he hadn't spent hours training at all. "Yatta!"

"Why do you do that every time?" Gaara wondered aloud, making his way over to everyone.

"Because each opportunity to have ramen should be treasured!" Naruto explained, distressed that Gaara had not grasped such an essential fact of life.

As Naruto struggled to explain the sanctity of ramen to Gaara the three wizards couldn't help but gape at the shinobi, amazed that ones who could seem so normal (despite their looks and little quirks) could be so powerful and dangerous! They felt as if they were looking at the shinobi in a whole new light.

"You all right?" Kakashi said, interrupting their thoughts.

"You plan on wrecking the whole forest?" Ron asked in disbelief as he surveyed their surroundings. Trees were uprooted, some were sliced right through, some shattered by Naruto's Rasengan and Kakashi's Chidori, the ground was overturned, causing the brown dirt to clash horribly with the white snow; it was like a battle zone.

The jounin shrugged. "We usually stay in one place for a week and a half or so, then move somewhere else in the forest before the damage becomes too severe. Before that we also try to fix where we used to be so that it can heal itself. Would be a lot faster if I had wood element affinity," he trailed off. Despite the fact he had read Tenzo's movements many times through the years, simply copying the seals with his Sharingan wasn't enough. It was basically a Kekkai Genkai, something the Sharingan was powerless against.

"Now, shall we go to dinner before Naruto hyperventilates from the lack of ramen?" Kakashi chuckled as he started to usher them all away.

* * *

That Saturday was a Hogsmeade trip, and everyone was looking forward to it. After walking around for a while Harry suggested they go to the Three Broomsticks with everyone mutely agreeing. Just as they were settling down they noticed Ludo Bagman and he quickly made his way over to them, with the group of goblins he had been conversing with eyeing his every move.

"Wonder if I could have a quick, private word, Harry?" he said eagerly. "You couldn't give us a moment, would you?" Harry glanced as his friends who shrugged and continued with what they were doing but Kakashi peered at Bagman curiously, as if trying to read his very soul. Bagman gulped.

"I-I assure you, Mr. Hatake," Bagman stuttered. "I won't hurt young Harry here! Just a quick word." Kakashi stared at the man for a second longer then looked at Harry and gave a small nod. Once Mr. Bagman's back was turned and he tried to steer Harry as far as he could Harry saw Kakashi discreetly point to his own ear, signaling that he was going to be listening in.

_Oh yeah, he's my bodyguard,_ Harry thought dryly.

The whole conversation was very strange indeed, and the young wizard was shocked at what Bagman offered.

" . . . if I can help at all . . . a prod in the right direction . . . I've taken a liking to you . . ." (Harry noticed Kakashi stiffened at the mention of Bagman offering him help) "the way you got past that dragon! . . . well, just say the word."

"We're supposed to work out the clues alone, aren't we?" he said, trying to keep his voice casual. He couldn't believe that the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports was considering breaking the rules in his favor! There had to be another reason other than him simply feeling guilty for Harry being so unceremoniously thrown into the tournament.

Deciding it wasn't worth pursuing the subject Harry gave Bagman a false smile and assured him that he had almost cracked the secret behind the egg. When Fred and George showed up Harry took that as his cue to leave and did so happily.

"He's offering you help with the egg?" Kakashi frowned once Harry had joined them.

"He's what?" Hermione said, looking very shocked.

"How can he do that if he's one of the judges?" Ron wondered aloud.

"No idea," Harry admitted. "When I asked why, he said that he wanted a Hogwarts victory, but I asked if he was giving Cedric Diggory any help he said he wasn't and got frustrated with me."

"Do you want me to follow him?" Kakashi asked, his hand involuntarily reaching for his weapon pouch. He highly doubted Ludo Bagman was the one he was looking for, but then again, appearances could be deceiving. After years on the battlefield, the jounin had learned never to assume anything.

"N-no, there's no need. Bagman's not capable of something like this," Harry said quickly, noticing the movement the older man had made.

"He's just a bit of a nuisance," Hermione added. The jounin reluctantly sat back down, all the while committing the man's "magic" signature to memory so he could pick him out at any time. It didn't hurt to be on the safe side.

"So, Harry," Hermione continued, shifting her attention as she took a sip of her butterbeer. "How _are_ you coming along with figuring out the egg's clue?" He had told her earlier that he was close to solving it, but there had been a slight hesitation in his voice.

Harry was saved from answering by a certain person entering the pub.

" . . . didn't seem very keen to talk to us, did he, Bozo? Now, why would that be, do you think? And what's he doing with a pack of goblins in tow anyway? Showing them the sights . . . what nonsense . . . "

Rita Skeeter.

"Trying to ruin someone else's life like you did with Hagrid's, eh?" said Harry loudly, unable to help himself.

Rita turned around to face Harry and after glancing at the shinobi besides him took a step back, but then looked at the crowd of customers and seemed to assume that they wouldn't try anything in such a crowded area.

"Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing my—"

"Who cares if he's half-giant?" Harry shouted. "There's nothing wrong with him!"

The whole pub had gone silent, and people waited with bated breath to see how this would unfold.

"How about giving me an interview about the Hagrid _you_ know, Harry? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?"

"You horrible woman," Hermione said angrily, standing up besides Harry. "You don't care, do you, anything for a story, and anyone will do, won't they? Even Ludo Bagman—"

"Sit down, you silly little girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand," Rita said coldly. "I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl . . . _not_ that it needs it—" she added, eyeing Hermione's bushy hair.

Ron leapt from his chair, knocking over his butterbeer and leaking its contents across the table.

"Oi, I think it's time to go," Kakashi said sternly, grabbing Ron and Harry's arms. The two reluctantly agreed and the group of six began to leave. As Kakashi passed Rita he leaned in closely.

"I hope that we don't have any more trouble from you, ne?" he said calmly, but with such force and hatred that it almost sent Rita down to her trembling knees. He nodded at her understanding and gave a small smirk, but maintained his hardened look as he exited the pub.

When he and the others were gone Rita collapsed in a chair, with her photographer fretting over her and trying to give her a glass of water and fanned the woman with a piece of parchment.

"Are you all right?" he asked frantically.

"'Course I'm all right," she snapped, noticing the eyes of everyone on her. She did _not_ like being made a fool of. Due to the absence of the pesky girl and those strange foreigners she suddenly had her confidence back. With a small growl she whipped out her Quick Quotes Quill and snatched the parchment out of Bozo's hands.

"_No_ one makes a fool out of Rita Skeeter," she said vehemently.

* * *

"She'll be after you guys next," said Ron in a low and worried voice, looking at Hermione and the shinobi.

"Let her try!" said Hermione defiantly; she was shaking with rage. "I'll show her! Silly little girl, am I? Oh, I'll get her back for this. First Harry, then Hagrid . . . "

"You don't want to go upsetting Rita Skeeter," said Ron nervously, looking back and forth between the others for help. "I'm serious, she'll dig up something on all of you—"

"My parents don't read the _Daily Prophet_. She can't scare me into hiding!" Hermione said angrily.

"Yeah, and we're going to be leaving here soon," Gaara pointed out, trying to keep the small amount of doubt out of his voice. "It's not like we really care about what a simple article could say."

"And Hagrid isn't hiding anymore! He should _never_ have let that excuse for a human being upset him! Come _on!_" Hermione continued, leading them to the gamekeeper's hut.

The curtains were drawn and they could hear Fang's barks in the background.

"Hagrid!" Hermione shouted, pounding on the front door. "Hagrid, that's enough! We know you're in there! Nobody cares if you're half-giant!"

"Yeah!" Naruto added. "Besides, Gaara and I are practically half-_demon_ so we understand how you feel!"

"You can't let that foul Skeeter woman do this to you!" Hermione continued. "Hagrid, get out here, you're just being—"

The door opened. "About t—" Hermione stopped as she found herself face-to-face with Albus Dumbledore.

"Good afternoon," he said pleasantly, smiling down at the peculiar crowd before him.

"We—er—we wanted to see Hagrid," said Hermione in a small voice.

"Yes, I surmised as much," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Why don't you come in?"

"Oh . . . um . . . okay," said Hermione.

Hagrid looked horrible and it was all the wizards and shinobi could do to convince him to not care about what Rita Skeeter said and they begged him to return to his classes.

When everyone left an hour later everyone felt much lighter—all except for Harry. Hagrid's expression of imagining Harry winning the tournament was burned in his memory and he figured that it was high time to swallow his pride and follow Cedric's hint.

* * *

That night when everyone was in bed Harry crept downstairs and sought Gaara, who was already looking in his direction quizzically, noticing the egg and Invisibility Cloak he had with him.

"I hope you're not thinking of working on that now," the redhead said calmly. "It would wake everyone up and they wouldn't be happy with you."

"I-I'm not working on it—on it _here_," Harry tried to explain. "I need to be somewhere else in the castle . . . and no one can know where I'm going."

"What do you need me to do?" Gaara asked, able to ascertain the meaning behind Harry's approach.

"Do you think you could open the portrait for me? I-I'm going to travel under the Invisibility Cloak so I can't have the Fat Lady know I'm walking around as well as anyone else for that matter."

Gaara nodded his understanding and picked up Crookshanks while Harry concealed himself beneath the robes. The genin pushed the door open just wide enough for Harry to get through but not too much that it would arouse suspicion.

"What are you doing?" a groggy voice called out. Gaara glanced at the half-asleep portrait and said simply, "I thought that Crookshanks would want to get out, but apparently he doesn't want to," he said as he focused his attention to the placid cat in his arms.

"Fine—just shut the door already," the Fat Lady sighed before falling back into her blissful sleep. After making sure Harry was gone, Gaara shut the door quietly and made his way over to the couch, where he sat down with his legs crossed and closed his eyes in concentration. When Harry wasn't looking Gaara had put some of his sand into the boy's hair so he could track him wherever he went through the castle.

He would have rather used the Third Eye, but seeing as how Kakashi said that even the Sharingan couldn't see through the Invisibility Cloak, he doubted the small ball of sand would be able to. The jounin confided in him that when he first learned about the cloak he had pretended that the Sharingan could see through it, just to make Harry think that he wouldn't be able to get away with anything with the jounin keeping watch. The only way he knew he was there was because he could hear, smell, and sense him.

And so Gaara had to resort to keeping a mental tab on Harry, wondering how long the journey would take. After a few minutes the connection broke as Gaara felt the sand become too heavy and dispersed for it to be of any use to him now. Judging from past experiences, the genin surmised that it was because Harry had his head under water. Frantic, Gaara leapt to his feet and transported himself to the location he felt the connection last.

"What's wrong, Harry?" he called out in concern, some of his sand already out and his whole body in a defensive position.

Harry just stared at the shinobi with his mouth slightly open, not even bothering to move the dripping hair out of his eyes.

"_What in blazes are you doing here?!_" he shouted, finding his voice. Gaara's eyes widened as he took in his surroundings. They were in some sort of hot spring, with the large bathing pool and all, but instead of being open to the outdoors and inviting, it was enclosed and there were hundreds of faucets surrounding the rim. It was apparent that they must emit some type of fragrant bubbles, due to the incredibly strong smell Gaara detected.

Harry apparently had used a lot, for the water was frosted in a layer several centimeters high, and the dark haired wizard was almost completely hidden behind them.

"Did you have to use so much?" Gaara asked irritably as he covered his nose in an attempt to protect his sensitive nose, but it was pointless.

"I _said_—what are you doing here?" Harry demanded, ignoring Gaara's question. He sure was glad that the shinobi had come when he was already in the water.

"I put some sand in your hair to make sure that you traveled safely, and when the connection broke due to water I left immediately to make sure you weren't in any danger," he explained, not an ounce of regret in his tone.

Harry groaned and slapped his forehead. He knew Gaara meant well, but honestly—was he going to have to be followed around by someone for the rest of his life?

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Gaara asked.

"Trying to find out the clue," Harry answered curtly. "I can hear a song when I open the egg under water."

"Really?" Gaara found himself intrigued at the very least.

"Who is this, Harry?" Gaara's eyes widened as he discovered he wasn't alone in the room with Harry, but relaxed when he discovered that it was only a ghost girl. Because they didn't have bodies the shinobi couldn't sense them like they did other creatures, but there was a faint something they could sense, but it was so commonplace in a magical castle that it wasn't worth trying to interpret every tiny disturbance they encountered.

"Sabaku no Gaara," he answered, not even waiting for the wizard to reply, and he didn't seem to mind.

"My name is Myrtle," she responded with an odd smile on her face as she floated over to Gaara. "I must say, I've never met you before—"

"Hey! Aren't you helping me solve the clue?" Harry yelled, frustration clearly evident in his voice. He just wanted to get this over with. "Would you mind leaving?" he added, frowning at Gaara. "I assure you that I'm not going to be assaulted on the short walk to the dormitory."

For a second Gaara entertained the thought of refusing to leave and waiting out, but decided against it. Harry most likely hated the thought of being tailed around, and he could relate to that. There was a time when he was followed by an assassin every time of day and night. Of course, he dealt with the irritation by coming up with different ways to kill the assassins and once he found the perfect one was when he struck, but those thoughts were useless now.

Gaara nodded to Harry and found himself back in the Gryffindor common room where he continued to study English. After about ten minutes had passed Gaara was startled out of his studying by the distinct wail of the Triwizard egg, and after spending a moment identifying where it came from in the castle, was puzzled as to why it wasn't anywhere on the route Harry had to take to return to the Gryffindor tower. Granted, there were various ways to get to the same place in this peculiar castle, but according to the path Harry had taken to reach the strange hot spring, it was in a completely different direction.

The genin took the wailing as a signal from Harry that he was in trouble, seeing as how the wailing continued for more than a minute . . . two and a half minutes to be exact. There was no chance that it could have simply slipped from his fingers and accidentally opened because Harry would have shut it within the first 30 seconds. Realizing that Kakashi was bound to have heard the scream Gaara sent some of his sand to the jounin's bed where he wrote the message that all was well and he was going to check it out. He doubted that would stop the man, but he might as well let him know that he had control of the situation.

Wasting no time Gaara teleported himself near the source of the wailing, not too close but close enough to where he could easily assess the situation and determine the best course of action. Normally he would just enter right in the middle of the commotion, but Baki had stressed to him the importance of going into an unknown situation with a plan.

Thankfully, Harry wasn't in any immediate danger, but it was evident he could be. From what Gaara could make out, Harry was in the middle of the staircase covered in his cloak, while Filch, Mrs. Norris, and the egg were at the bottom yet Filch started making his way up and if he continued he would run straight into Harry. The wizard didn't make any motion to get out of the way and Gaara wondered why, until he remembered that this was where the trick step was. Naruto had stepped on it on accident within their first week at Hogwarts, and the other wizards had to explain it to them. The genin found it utterly pointless as to why the step existed in the first place, but then again, he found he felt the same way about a lot of things in the castle.

Gaara began to step forward and prevent Filch from running into Harry when he sensed someone running their way from the top of the staircase so he halted and waited to see who it was. To his surprise it was Professor Snape and then he and the caretaker argued about whether or not Peeves had stolen the egg until Mad-Eye Moody came onto the scene, sounding slightly out of breath.

_Kuso!_ The Suna shinobi had a hard time thinking about how to get Harry out of this one, because there were just too many people involved now. If it were only Filch and his cat, things would have been much simpler. He needed a plan to be able to get Harry without raising too much suspicion.

"Potter," Snape said quietly, dragging Gaara back into the conversation. "That egg is Potter's egg. That piece of parchment belongs to Potter. I have seen it before, I recognize it! Potter is here! Potter, in his Invisibility Cloak!" Gaara's eyes widened at the mention of the cloak (_How did he know about that?_) but realized he had to do something as Snape came closer and closer to Harry, his stretched fingers just millimeters away from where Harry was supposed to be.

Snape was surprised when his fingers touched flesh, but it wasn't Potter's. One of those foreign brats was standing right in front of him!

"What are you doing here?" the Potions teacher snarled, straightening himself into a proper standing position. His snarl curved upwards more as the impudent student looked up at him calmly and replied, "Trying to find out what made that sound earlier," with such a derogatory tone, as if he thought he as a mere child was better than him.

"Quite peculiar place to—show . . . up," he countered, unsure of how to describe what just happened.

Gaara shrugged nonchalantly. "I just appeared where I heard the noise. I can't know the exact layout."

The way the boy showed no expression infuriated Snape as well as the feeling as if the kid was patronizing him. Foreigner or not, the boy needed to understand that there were manners such as respecting one's elders.

"The screaming ended a couple minutes ago," he sneered. "What took you so long?"

"It's a big castle."

There was silence for a few moments as the two stared each other down, with Snape's fury increasing every moment while Gaara remained impassive. He always felt some sort of thrill at being able to manipulate other's emotions so easily. _Snape had better watch his temper_, he noted.

"Now if you two are done bickering I think it's high time we all go to bed," Moody said gruffly as he came up besides them. He made Filch give him back the egg and sent both him and Snape away, where he then turned to Gaara.

"I take it there's another reason you're here?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Well if it's about Potter, I suggest you pull him out quick or that step is going to eat him alive." Gaara nodded and held out his hands for Harry to grasp and once he felt them Gaara pulled forcefully and to his surprise Harry sailed right past him onto the steps behind him.

"Bloody—h-how—how did you do that?" a half-transparent Harry sputtered. "You guys are just too strong," he muttered as he pushed himself off the steps and placed the cloak back over himself.

"Close shave if I ever saw one," Moody smirked. Harry found he had to agree. If Gaara or Moody hadn't come along, he would have been a sitting duck.

Gaara waited patiently as Harry and Moody discussed some map of Hogwarts, ending with Harry letting the old man borrow the map, and the professor told Harry that he should consider being an Auror someday.

"All right," he said as he pocketed the map. "It's off to bed for the two of you. I trust you can make sure he makes it back to the dormitory without any other necessary detours?" Moody said, directing the last part to Gaara, who nodded. "Splendid."

As the two walked on in silence, Harry muttered, "Thanks, Gaara. Snape would have found me if it weren't for you." Gaara simply shrugged and they were silent the rest of the way to the dormitory.

"She's gonna be mad that you're waking her up," Harry whispered.

"Not if we don't wake her up," the genin said simply as he reached out and grasped Harry's shoulder and before Harry knew it they were in the common room with the sand that surrounded them going back into Gaara's pant pockets.

"That's so cool," he admitted wistfully.

"So what did you find out?" Gaara asked, curious now that they could talk freely.

"That I've got to find a way to breathe underwater for a full hour," the wizard said dejectedly. "You wouldn't happen to know of a way, d'you?" Gaara shook his head. _He didn't even know how to swim! _Shukaku had prevented the boy from learning because he knew that Gaara could subdue him for a while by drenching himself, so whenever he tried his mind was filled with the horrible images of him drowning. He learned to keep his distance.

"Perfect," Harry moaned. "I'm a goner." With that he said good-night to Gaara and he went upstairs, leaving Gaara to his studies.

_Glad that crisis is over with,_ Kakashi noted with relief. Despite Gaara's assurances that everything was all right Kakashi still trailed the Suna nin and was about to step in the same time Gaara was, but thankfully he didn't have to. It was much less suspicious for a student to appear like that than an adult. Of course, Kakashi could have done so easily and simply made the other three forget with his Sharingan but unless they were looking at him at the same exact time, he would have had to use it on them separately and they were bound to find out something was wrong. Kakashi was curious as to how Harry would solve his little dilemma, already knowing what the task would be seeing as how he was overseeing the safety of the champions. He would have to tell Naruto and Gaara about their part in this soon.

With a small chuckle Kakashi returned to his dormitory and set to work devising tomorrow's little surprise.

* * *

The Weasley twins were essentially unpredictable, so it was natural that they expected things to happen unpredictably.

Somehow, this was the first time in their life they were truly, and utterly——surprised. Neither of them woke up that morning knowing that halfway through study hall with all the Gryffindors they would be hanging from the ceiling by their boxers. Kakashi had snuck up on them and before they could blink they found themselves with an uncomfortable, gravity-induced wedgie.

The first few seconds were completely silent save for their howls of pain, then everyone erupted in uncontrollable laughter and cheers for Kakashi who smirked up at them.

"It would have been in your best interests to discover the potential consequences for your actions," he explained.

* * *

_"SENSEIIIII!!!!" _

_"My, my . . . what do we have here, Obito-kun?" Minato teased. The unfortunate Uchiha was dangling from a nearby tree, strung up by some shinobi string woven through the back of his boxers. To prevent him from escaping his hands were tied in a very intricate knot that only a jounin could escape from, and a very talented one at that. _

_"GET ME DOWN!!" he pleaded. "I GOT SOMETHING IN MY EYE AND I CAN'T GET IT OUT!"_

_"Nice try, crybaby," Kakashi sneered. "You're crying and you know it."_

_"KAKASHI'S BEING MEAN! PLEASE GET ME DOWN!!!"_

_"Just be grateful it wasn't Sennen Goroshi (One Thousand Years of Death)," Kakashi muttered, to which he and Obito shuddered slightly, the image and pain still engraved in their memory when Minato used it against them when he got too fed up with their fighting. Needless to say, they were civil with each other for an entire week._

_

* * *

_

Hermione was shocked beyond belief. She had heard of the prank that the twins had pulled on Kakashi during the Yule Ball from the others, but she felt like this payback was a little bit much. It left her wondering if boys ever grew up.

"Oi, Naruto," Kakashi said, directing his gaze to his student. "You should tell them to be thankful it wasn't _Sennen Goroshi_."

Naruto paled at the name and involuntarily touched his backside, the memory still fresh and decided that his sensei had been _very_ lenient.

* * *

**PHEW!! Kuso, looks like I wasn't able to beat last chapter's record for word count. Sorry **pamellka**! At least it's still over 10,000 words! **

* * *

**Real quick, I seem to be at a loss for an idea for Naruto's new jutsu. I have no idea what to do but he needs a jutsu. Does anyone have any ideas for me? Sometimes people bouncing ideas off of me is just enough to get me going. Thanks!**

**Also, I have no idea how much of the Forbidden Forest the Marauder's Map covers, or the basic layout of the grounds so I just made a guess.**

**I feel I must apologize for this being somewhat of a bore and not much action happening, but next chapter is all about the 2nd task, so stay tuned! If I'm lucky I can get another one out by/during Christmas break.**

**What does Rita have in store for our shinobi? Let me assure you that she has something quite nasty ready for them, so stay tuned!**


	16. Hydrophobia

**Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! See—look, a nice fast update for the holidays! =) **

**My awesome reviewers—couldn't do this without your encouraging words! **Davor solid, Kuro-no-Tsubasa, Obiki Doragon, Megaolix, darthgamer, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, MadnessLover, Lupanari, SaruKaze, Tuffy Sinth, pamellka, actionliker, shadow shinobi57, yuroshima, Uchiha Kumiko, Blazer-Of-Heat, Lord Dragon Claw, candyman123, Sakamoto Michiko, sugarcrazedninja, Dragon260, cardcaptor eternity, KatonRyuuka, AvatardsUnite MM, dragoncrazy247, Monaki-chung, whiteinu, the true elec, Diamonds-r-4ever-so-am-I, Lily Yamamoto, FantomoDrako, GirlLoki, xX Naru Fantasy Xx, lupin is the chocolate man, master of cheese graters, Shivakashi, Kawai Chibi-kun, BlackRoseFire, Uzumaki Naruko14, Suna13 (2), **and **papercliped-angel.

**Okay, and in response to **GirlLoki**'s review, I apologize for not touching base on that yet**—**(to be honest I sorta forgot!)**—**but I will definitely address it in this chapter! Thanks for pointing it out! And thanks for your review!**

* * *

"So you've got to survive underwater for an _hour?_" Naruto exclaimed in amazement.

"Yeah," Harry grumbled. "You don't happen to know any special jutsu or something to help me out?" he asked hopefully.

Naruto frowned for a moment then shook his head. "Sorry—no ideas."

"Worth a try," Harry sighed.

"You know this would have been a little easier if you had started working on it earlier than a _month before!"_ Hermione hissed. "Starting so late—"

"You're supposed to aim at the boxes, not me!" Ron exclaimed in frustration. They were in Professor Flitwick's class, learning the opposite of the Summoning Charm—the Banishing Charm. Naruto, apparently, was having a little difficulty.

"I'm sorry!" he replied in indignation. "I've got the right amount of cha—magic focused, it's just the aiming that's hard," he admitted sheepishly.

"Besides, did the cushion really hurt that much, Ron?" Hermione teased as she banished her own cushion to fit perfectly in the box.

Ron went bright red and muttered something incoherent.

"What I'm interested is the middle part, _'We've taken what you'll sorely miss',_" Hermione continued.

"Hey Harry—maybe you could just use the Summoning Charm!" Ron suggested eagerly. "You know, like you did with the Firebolt!"

"I think that the point of this task is for him to actually go into the water and fetch it though," Hermione frowned. "Besides, how do we know Harry's going to even know what it is before he gets there?"

"Judging by the way the song is structured it sounds like he will know," Gaara pointed out as he successfully banished his cushion. "Besides, having a previous knowledge of what was taken will motivate him to succeed in the task."

"Makes sense," Harry nodded. Then he and Ron eagerly discussed the matter of Moody searching Snape's office while Hermione sighed and shook her head in disbelief. The shinobi had learned early on that Snape was a popular point of discussion, and they didn't really blame them. He certainly made it easy, being such a simple person to hate.

"Hey—where's Kakashi?" Ron asked eagerly once they sat down for lunch.

"I think he's meeting with Dumbledore-sama and the other members of the Triwizard Board to discuss the next task," Naruto replied, pausing from devouring his ramen. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I need to congratulate him! I've _never_ seen my brothers beaten like that at their own game!" he exclaimed with the same wide grin he wore when Malfoy had been transfigured into a ferret.

"_I_ for one found it all rather childish," Hermione said indignantly, taking a bit of her pasta. "A grown man resorting to such . . . a barbaric prank like that."

The four boys glanced at each other in disbelief while Ron just shook his head, signaling that they shouldn't bother.

The evening before the second task Harry was beginning to panic. Hermione, Ron, Naruto, and Gaara had been spending the past couple of days in the library with him, doing their best to desperately find something that would help Harry breathe underwater for an hour. So far they hadn't found anything useful.

"Hey, listen to this!" Naruto announced. "There's a spell that will make someone's hair turn different colors every couple seconds!"

"And _how _will that help me breathe underwater?" Harry asked irritably. The stress of not having a proper plan coupled with the fear of looking like a fool in front of everyone (especially Cho) put him in a very bad mood.

"It's cool," Naruto huffed but resumed his search for a useful spell.

"I should have become an Animagus like Sir—McGonagall," Harry grumbled, catching himself in time. When it appeared none of the shinobi noticed he let out a silent sigh of relief. In reality, however, they had heard and understood perfectly.

_Kakashi-sensei will be pleased to hear this new information!_ Naruto thought with a smirk.

"What's an Animagus?" Gaara asked curiously. There was no doubt Kakashi would know what one was when they reported back to him, but he wanted to be properly informed.

"An Animagus is someone who can transform themselves into an animal at will," Hermione explained, throwing Harry a dark look for messing up.

"So Kiba and Orochimaru must be Animagus!" Naruto exclaimed.

Before any of the wizards could ask what they turned into, Kakashi suddenly appeared next to their table.

"Hermione, Ron," he started, "I need you to come with me. McGonagall wants to see you." The three wizards glanced at each other fearfully, each of them thinking the same thing. _Did she find out about them helping Harry out? Were they in trouble?_

"And Naruto, Gaara—you need to come with me so we can discuss your duties for the task tomorrow." Harry's already ill mood dropped even further when he realized all his help was gone.

_Great—just great_, he thought bitterly. _If only I could clone myself like Naruto does and search that way._

"We'll meet you back in the common room," Hermione told Harry as they gathered their things. "Bring back as many books as you can."

"Right," said Harry, his throat unusually dry.

Later on that night Harry was flipping through book after book, his patience and hope vanishing with each useless page. Madam Pince had kicked him out a while ago and he had carried back as many books as he could without dropping them. He was so focused on his task that he didn't even notice that Hermione and Ron hadn't come to help him yet.

At one point he saw Gaara sit across him out of the corner of his eye and reach for a book, the two of them silently searching. Once they were finished with those books the pair moved to the library, with Gaara bringing Harry there with his transportation jutsu, not wanting to waste any time trying to sneak around the castle.

While they were there Harry kept telling himself the answer would be on the next page, the next page, next page . . . _next page . . ._ _next page . . . ._

It was around four in the morning when Gaara noticed that Harry had passed out, his frame draped across five books that were haphazardly strewn about, as if he had tried to look through all of them at once. He reached out to wake him up then thought better of it, realizing that it wouldn't do Harry any good if he fell asleep during the task.

Instead he continued to look through the books for another two hours, hoping to find the answer for Harry even though he knew it was cheating. He didn't know why he felt a need to help the wizard—maybe it was because he knew the boy understood some of the pain that he and Naruto felt. Plus there was the fact that he and his friends had still accepted Naruto and him even when they knew what plagued them.

At 7am Gaara knew he had to meet up with Kakashi to get ready for the task, so he gently shook Harry up.

"I'm up . . . I'm up," he said groggily, grabbing a book and bringing it up to his face on impulse.

"I have to get ready and I wanted to make sure that you were up," Gaara explained.

"Great—great," Harry muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Thanks, Gaara." The shinobi nodded and disappeared, leaving Harry in the library. The wizard shook his head as if to clear it and started reading through the books again, only to collapse a few minutes later.

* * *

"Where's Harry?" Naruto asked Gaara fearfully.

Gaara shrugged. "I left him in the library. He had fallen asleep so I woke him up again and left once he continued to search."

"How much sleep had he gotten before you woke him up, Gaara?" Kakashi asked, coming towards them.

"Two hours."

The Suna shinobi was confused at the grimaces that appeared on his friend and the jounin. What was so bad?

"Gaara—" Kakashi began, unsure of how to put it. "You probably don't know this, but staying awake after two hours of sleep is very difficult to do."

"But he was awake and he spoke to me," Gaara protested.

"I'm sure he was, and he most likely knew what was going on, but chances are he fell asleep again a couple minutes after you had left, especially if he continued to sit down."

"Should I go fetch him?" Naruto asked.

"That would probably be best, there's only a couple—" the jounin paused and he turned towards the shore. "Here he is now." The two genin spun around and noted with relief that Harry had indeed arrived, looking completely out of breath so they could tell he had most likely run all the way there.

There was a mixture of emotions at his arrival, with some overjoyed and some looking like they had just sucked on something sour, no doubt having consigned themselves to the fact that he wasn't going to show.

"Here we go," Kakashi said as Bagman stepped forward and began to explain the event.

While Harry had been attempting to catch his breath he glanced out at the water and was astonished at what he saw.

The shinobi were actually _standing on the water!_ He made a mental note to ask them how they did that later. They were also wearing special clothes, which he attributed to the weather and whatever it was they had to do.

Each of them was wearing long, black pants that were similar to the ones Kakashi wore all the time. Along with that Naruto and Gaara were wearing long-sleeved black shirts, like the kind that Muggle trainers wore at sea parks, and Harry noticed Naruto's necklace gleaming in the light, standing out against the black clothing. To his amusement he noticed Gaara shivering slightly, his arms folded in an attempt to warm himself up and his pale skin stood out easily in the dreary weather.

Kakashi, on the other hand, still had his mask on, but instead of a long-sleeved shirt he was wearing a form-fitting sleeveless shirt, and even from here he could hear the giggles from witches of all ages as they stared at him. When Kakashi turned back to Naruto and Gaara, Harry noticed a strange tattoo of some sort on his shoulder that was red and some weird type of spiral, somewhat reminiscent of their village symbol.

Harry noted the jounin's well-defined arm and abdominal muscles with a slight twinge of jealousy. They weren't as large as some Muggle weight-trainers because theirs would be impractical for a shinobi, but for some reason he felt Kakashi would still defeat them in a battle even without ninjutsu—or whatever they called it.

What surprised the wizard was the fact that Kakashi didn't even look cold—even with a sleeveless shirt. His hands were stuck in his pockets, and while he appeared to be lazy and disinterested Harry knew from watching him train that it was most likely a ruse and he undoubtedly was observing everything intently.

"They have precisely one hour to recover what has been taken from them," Bagman announced, shaking Harry out of his thoughts. He quickly stripped off unnecessary clothes or else it would slow him down. He had to save Ron!

"One . . . two . . . _three!_"

"Oi, what's he going?" Naruto whispered. All the other champions had dived into the water while Harry simply walked in.

"I hope he has an idea," Kakashi muttered. They watched as the wizard looked around in embarrassment before stuffing something in his mouth.

"What did he eat?" Naruto asked, trying to get a better look.

"It looked like seaweed," Kakashi said slowly, racking through his newly acquired wizard knowledge in an attempt to find out what Harry's intentions were.

It appeared that not even Harry knew what he was doing as he stood there awkwardly, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly he gasped and grasped his throat. Gaara and Naruto stepped forward out of concern, but Kakashi held them back.

"Just watch," he told them. The two shinobi squinted and then knew what was happening—or at least they had an idea. With their heightened eyesight, they were able to make out the slits in his neck that were appearing as well as the way flesh was growing between his fingers to connect them together. A couple seconds later Harry seemed to get the idea and dived in.

"What did he do, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"Gillyweed," the jounin answered.

"Gillyweed?" Gaara asked in confusion.

"It's a special plant that—when eaten—grants the user marine animal qualities, so they can breathe underwater with gills and webbed feet and hands," Kakashi explained.

"So they turn into Kisame?" Naruto smirked.

Kakashi chuckled as he ruffled his student's golden hair.

"So we wait?" Gaara asked. The jounin nodded.

"Now we wait."

* * *

After about twenty minutes had passed, Kakashi sensed some disturbance in the water, more so than there should have been. He bent down, placed his hands on top of the water and closed his eyes. Those who were close enough to see gasped as they saw ringlets of blue energy flow out from his hands like ripples.

After a few moments Kakashi opened his eye in alarm and quickly stood up only to dive gracefully into the water, leaving the crowd whispering as they wondered who was in trouble.

The icy water shocked his senses but Kakashi swam on, using chakra to propel himself deeper and deeper. Because of his chakra enhanced sonar that he used above the water, Kakashi was able to tell that the girl—Fleur—was being viciously attacked by some type of water creature that although was quite small, seemed to be moving alarmingly fast and he wondered how long it would be until her Bubble-Head Charm would break.

Finally he spotted her, with about twenty or so creatures encircling her, and it appeared that half were holding on to her body while the other half would zoom in and out all around her as if they were baiting her. He could tell that the Bubble-head Charm had been broken and she was squirming to break free so she could breathe.

As Kakashi swam towards her as fast as he could he racked his brains for a proper way to rescue her. Now that he got a good look at them, it appeared that the water creatures were grindylows, and while they weren't that much of a threat, with them being so close to Fleur like that it complicated things a bit. If they weren't so close he could simply use an underwater tornado jutsu to get them out of the way, but it wasn't an option; which left Kakashi with only one thing to do.

Get them to attack him.

He barely got within five feet of her when the ten grindylows that were on the outside circle immediately came after him, their tentacles swaying like a dress behind them and their green, razor-sharp teeth opened wide to swallow him up. Within two seconds he had already killed three of them, but the water slowed his movements and he cried out as the other seven either stung him with their tentacles or impaled their teeth deep into his skin.

Now that the others surrounding Fleur noticed their fellow kin were being attacked they forgot about the unconscious girl and came after Kakashi. With Fleur now safe Kakashi quickly swam to his right, forcing the grindylows into range. Once he was a good distance away from Fleur he spun around to face the oncoming swarm.

"_Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!_" Kakashi spared a second to make sure the jutsu had forced them away and sped towards Fleur who was drifting slightly.

Upon reaching the girl Kakashi made a few quick hand signs, grabbed Fleur around the waist in one arm and pointed the other towards the ground.

_"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" _As soon as he had released the jutsu he almost wished he hadn't. The sheer force of the jutsu being used to propel himself to the surface felt like it was going to take his arm off, but he had to do whatever was necessary or else the girl would drown. He tightened his grip on the girl with the aide of his chakra and ducked his head down for when they broke water.

The crowd gasped in awe as an eruption burst from the water a mile or two away from the shore.

"It's the giant squid!"

"Maybe they had to fight it?"

"Look!" Everyone's attention was directed to the two shapes that were in the air about half a mile from the water's surface.

Kakashi gulped in the badly needed air and looked down, realizing how far up they were. Quickly he rolled over until he was in a standing position and adjusted Fleur so he was holding her bridal style and waited until he touched the water's surface. When he did he immediately took off in a sprint with a large water trail in his wake. In no time at all he had crossed the distance from where they were to the shore and carefully laid the girl on the ground while the officials ran over to them. Once assured that she was in good hands he backed away and coughed violently, trying to force air into his lungs that he hadn't had time to do because he had been so focused on getting the girl to safety.

Madame Pomfrey immediately bent down and held her wand to the girl's chest, muttering some spell as she slowly brought it up along her windpipe and once she reached her mouth was able to withdraw a small column of water and Fleur instantly began sputtering and gasping for air.

"There you go, dear," Madame Pomfrey said kindly, turning the girl on her side so she could breathe easier. "Just get it all out."

"What 'appened?" Madame Maxime asked worriedly, directing her attention to Kakashi as she knelt beside her pupil.

"A—attacked by grin—grindy—l-lows," Kakashi answered, still coughing. Hagrid was by his side and slapped the jounin hard on his back, almost causing him to fall over.

"Arigato, Hagrid," Kakashi said weakly.

"Will she be all right?" the Beauxbaton's teacher asked, watching her wheezing student.

"I'll just need to give her some Pepper-up Potion and get a warm towel around her, but I think she'll be fine," the nurse said kindly, helping the girl up off the ground. "Feel better, dear?" Fleur nodded and wrapped her arms around herself while she shivered. Madame Pomfrey then started working on the small burns and puncture wounds on the girl that she suffered from the grindylows and in no time at all there were barely any marks. Once she was finished wiping all the blood off she threw a towel over the shivering girl and conjured a steaming flask.

Neville walked tentatively up to Kakashi, being one of the closest to where they were.

"What happened down there?" the boy asked in concern, his eyes focused on the cuts and burns that littered Kakashi's arms, the blood flowing down like a thin river.

Kakashi smiled and rubbed his neck nervously, "Just a little attack by grindylows—nothing serious!"

_"__Merci beaucoup, monsieur!"_ Fleur cried happily, rushing to Kakashi and hugging him. "You saved me from ze grindylows!"

The jounin appeared slightly uncomfortable. "Maa, maa—I'm just glad to have helped."

Now that her priority patient was taken care of, Madame Pomfrey rounded on Kakashi. "Okay, let me see those arms."

"I'm actually all right," Kakashi said hurriedly, backing away slowly. "There's really no need—"

"I'm perfectly aware of your attitude towards receiving medical treatment," the nurse huffed, "but I'll have you know that while _I'm_ around—"

"But I need to be ready in case any other champions are in danger," Kakashi protested.

"Which is why we have two other people out there," Madame Pomfrey smirked. "Or are they incapable of acting in your behalf?"

Realizing defeat, Kakashi sighed and allowed the woman to treat his wounds. As she did so he simply looked off into the distance, acting as if she weren't there at all. The Hogwarts nurse frowned, then pinched Kakashi—hard.

"What'd you do that for?" he said angrily as he wrenched his arm away from her.

Madame Pomfrey simply smirked and continued cleaning his wounds. She never had a patient quite like him before and it was infuriating.

"_I swear you're just as bad as Tsunade-sama,_" he muttered darkly under his breath in Japanese.

A few minutes later Kakashi was back out by Naruto and Gaara in a slightly irritated mood. Madame Pomfrey had tried putting a towel over him, instructing him that he wouldn't be allowed to go back out until his internal body temperature had returned to normal, but he simply used the body flicker jutsu and landed back out in the water, leaving a furious nurse in his wake. Not that he didn't appreciate or understand the gesture, but it always bothered him when others fussed over his well-being and that was part of the reason why he hated hospitals. It's not that he was ungrateful—just that he wasn't used to it.

Finally the first champion to make it through burst through the water with the person he had rescued. It was Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang. Gaara bent down and heaved Cho out of the water while Naruto helped Cedric. Once they had caught their breath the shinobi body flickered to shore where they were then attended to by Madame Pomfrey.

Krum and Hermione surfaced next, and the genin brought them to shore in the same fashion.

Now all that were left were Harry and Ron. Gabrielle would be brought to the surface by the merpeople once Harry had left, as part of a previous arrangement between Dumbledore and the merwoman leader should any champion fail to retrieve their hostage.

Everyone waited and waited until most began to get uneasy as the hour time limit passed.

"Should we go and get them?" Naruto asked fearfully.

"Give it another five minutes," Kakashi assured him.

When five minutes had passed Naruto turned to him again.

"I'll be sure to check," the jounin said as Naruto opened his mouth. Kakashi knelt to the water's surface and used the chakra enhanced sonar again to pinpoint the wizard's location. "He's making his way over here, but he's a good distance away, and it appears that he's brought both Mr. Weasley and Gabrielle," he announced, standing up again.

"Shouldn't we—"

"No," Kakashi said firmly. "They aren't in any eminent danger and if we help Harry will be disqualified as well. He seems to be doing fine so we just have to wait until he arrives." With that he body-flickered back to the shore and quickly explained the situation to Professor Dumbledore, who nodded.

"Why does he have Gabrielle with him?" Naruto asked. "She's not the person he was supposed to find."

"Probably took the song literally," Gaara said in dismay. "Did he really think that Dumbledore-sama—or us—would suffer an innocent life for a stupid tournament?"

About ten minutes later the group of three burst the surface, with Harry gasping for air and the shinobi noticed that his gills were gone and they wondered for how long. Kakashi grabbed Harry by the wrist and helped him up while Naruto helped Ron and Gaara picked up the small girl.

Once on shore Ron rounded on Harry. "Why'd you bring her along?"

"Fleur didn't show up. I couldn't leave her!" Harry panted.

"You prat! Did you really think Dumbledore—"

"Gabrielle!" The two wizards turned and saw Fleur running towards them and she eagerly grasped her sister and started talking to her in rapid French.

Seeing that all the champions and hostages were safe and accounted for the official judges starting conversing in hushed tones, Kakashi included.

As Hermione congratulated him and Ron pestered him for being stupid, Harry watched as Dumbledore broke away from the group and bent down close to the water and spoke Mermish with the chief merwoman. His observations were cut short as Percy wrenched Ron away from them and started asking if he were all right, looking concerned and frightened.

"What would mother have said?" he asked angrily.

"Geroff, Percy! I'm all right!" he protested. He was soon rescued by Madame Pomfrey who insisted that she see to it that he didn't catch a cold.

"You saved 'er," Fleur began as she turned her sister over to the school nurse. "Even though she was not your 'ostage."

"Yeah," Harry replied somewhat gloomily, furious at his stupid mistake. She then bent down and kissed him twice on each cheek, warming him up faster than any Pepper-Up Potion could, and she turned to Ron and Gaara.

"And you two as well—you 'elped—"

"Yeah," Ron said eagerly. "Yeah, a bit—" Fleur quickly kissed him as well and Hermione looked furious as the Weasley turned bright red with a love struck expression on his face.

Gaara looked absolutely horrified as Fleur came towards him and he tried to protest but he just couldn't find the words so Fleur happily kissed him twice on each cheek before rushing back to her sister. Naruto stared at his friend while Gaara stared straight ahead out of shock, his eyes wide with a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Oi!" Naruto called, trying to get his attention. When that didn't work he smirked and drew back a hand to punch the redhead but a small wall of sand emerged from the ground and blocked his path. The genin pouted, thinking that because Gaara hadn't taken his sand with him because they were going to be on the water he wouldn't have to deal with the wall of sand, but apparently Shukaku had other plans.

The Suna shinobi turned towards him. "D-did she . . . "

Naruto chuckled. "First kiss?" Gaara nodded slowly.

"Ever," he whispered.

"Well, you have something fun to tell your brother when you go home," Naruto teased, putting his arm around the boy.

"When are we going home?" Gaara wondered.

Naruto frowned. "That's a good question. Let's ask Dumbledore-sama when this is all done!"

Just then Bagman announced the results of the event to all of them, surprising everyone when Harry was given enough points to tie with Cedric, the judges making the call on Harry showing moral fiber.

"Really?" Harry asked Kakashi in amazement when he walked over to them.

The jounin chuckled. "It's true. You were lucky this time. Let's hope you start preparing for the next event once you hear about it though this time, ne?" he added in an undertone.

Harry blushed with embarrassment. "Yeah—I'll make sure."

* * *

"Ossan! When will we get to go home?" Naruto demanded when all the shinobi were present in Dumbledore's office. They had time to change into their regular clothes and it was the evening of the second task.

McGonagall was in the room as well and her eyebrow arched at the foreign word. "Ossan?"

"Means 'old man'," Gaara informed her.

At her indignant look Kakashi said quickly, "Don't worry—coming from him it's a sign of friendship and respect." She still didn't look appeased but when she turned to the Headmaster he merely chuckled and waved her off.

"I can assure you, Mr. Uzumaki, that I am doing all that I can do to find out how to send you home," he said calmly. "I have confirmed the fact that you are from another dimension as a race of beings that have the same form of power as us, although you have developed the ability to expel it from anywhere in your body whereas we require our wands to channel the energy on most occasions," he explained. "While this is helpful, it regrettably makes this slightly more difficult to be able to send you back to where you belong."

Naruto was the only one who outwardly showed his disappointment, although it was obvious the others felt it as well. McGonagall took pity on them, knowing it must be hard for them to be so far away from home. But if anyone could find a way, it was Albus.

"I have been studying and examining Mr. Longbottom's cauldron," he continued, gesturing to the object on the far right of his desk, "for clues and I am researching all the important books we have on related matter. I assure you that as soon as I have reached a safe conclusion I shall inform you immediately." He smiled warmly at them with a bit of pity in his eyes. "I know it must be hard but I am doing all that I can."

"Arigato, Dumbledore-sama," Kakashi bowed gratefully, with the two genin following suit a few seconds later before leaving the office.

"Do you need any help, Headmaster?" McGonagall offered.

"I appreciate the gesture, Minerva, and if I do I shall send for you," he said gratefully. The Deputy Headmistress smiled and took her leave.

Once she was gone Dumbledore sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbed his eyes wearily. Fawkes noted the chance in his master's demeanor and flew next to him, singing a soft song. The man smiled softly and stroked the phoenix's feathers.

"Sometimes it is so hard to make things turn out for the greater good," he sighed. "But those three still have a part to play."

* * *

The next morning the shinobi came to breakfast and noticed the three wizards bent over a letter and whispering about it intently, looking rather afraid and slightly furious.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked. The wizards sat up immediately, looking like they had been caught doing something bad and Harry stuffed the letter into his pocket.

"Just a letter from Hagrid," Hermione said offhandedly. The shinobi shrugged and settled down for some ramen for breakfast, then gulped and reached for some eggs and toast once he realized Kakashi was glaring at him. Seemingly appeased the jounin set off for the teachers table, making a mental note that the wizards were most likely hiding something about this Sirius person again. He was going to have to keep a closer eye out.

In Potions later on that afternoon the group of five were disheartened to realize that there was something unpleasant waiting for them.

"You might find something to interest you in there, Granger!" Pansy said loudly, throwing the magazine, _Witch _Weekly, at Hermione.

"Oh, and this for you too, foreign freaks!" Malfoy called out, throwing them the _Daily Prophet_. Harry and Ron looked back and forth between Hermione and the shinobi, then consented to look with their best friend first.

Frowning, Gaara quickly translated the magazine into kanji so Naruto could read along but just then Snape opened the dungeon door, signaling for them all to go inside.

Once they were inside and at a table, Naruto and Gaara bent down to read the article by Rita Skeeter. At the top was a picture of the three shinobi as they stood upon the water during the second task. The picture was moving, but they simply stood there, with Naruto fidgeting a little.

* * *

**DANGER AT HOGWARTS?**

It has come to my attention that at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the month

of October, three curious people suddenly appeared with no explanation of where they were from. These

people in question are Naruto Uzumaki, Gaara Sabaku, and Kakashi Hatake. From my own personal

encounters and from those of students who have come in contact with them it can be said that they

are of Japanese descent, but they can speak English remarkably well—most likely from the aide of a

translation spell. The most curious part about them lies in the fact that they can perform wandless

magic—and powerful ones at that. Indeed, it appears that they know more wandless magic than

actual magic that requires a wand! Some example include controlling an unknown amount of sand

by Mr. Sabaku, control over water by Mr. Hatake, and the ability to clone himself by Mr. Uzumaki.

They have also demonstrated other abilities like being able to stand on water, like they did during

the 2nd Triwizard Tournament Task. While this may not seem to cause concern but merely curiosity,

one must also take into account a certain incident that occurred the day before the 1st Task.

While yours truly was not there to witness the event, I have been able to procure a few

remarks from students who were there to witness the event themselves, although you should note

that it was difficult to get them to discuss it at all they were so frightened. Apparently it all started

off with them coming into contact with a boggart (and it should be pointed out that it appeared the foreigners

had no idea what a boggart was) which first appeared to Gaara Sabaku then Naruto Uzumaki. What

the boggart showed in of itself was frightening, but students were unwilling to give me the details,

just that it was terrifying. Then it seems that Ron Weasley was able to dispose of the boggart and

then things started to get out of control. What appeared to be orange flames began to encircle Mr.

Uzumaki and they made Mr. Weasley crash into a wall when he came too close, knocking him

unconscious.

Then the adult, Kakashi Hatake, suddenly appeared as if he had Apparated (another one

of their strange abilities. No one should be able to Apparate or Disapparate in or out of Hogwarts)

and tried to reach the boy, but he was thrown back as well. Then the two boys changed into

what one student describes as "monsters." Naruto Uzumaki seemed to be covered in some

"strange, orange and tangible glow with an orange tail" while Gaara Sabaku looked "half-human,

half-dog made out of sand" and proceeded to attack. Naruto was busy with the adult while Gaara

went after Harry and his friends. Students fled, screaming in fear while the two boys destroyed a

lot of school property. At one point Gaara returned back to normal, with the half of him that was

described as a dog turned into sand, while the other boy continued to harm Mr. Hatake, until

finally burying him underneath some rubble of a destroyed pillar.

The incident was ended when some students cast _Stupefy _and _Petrificus totalus_ at the

same time, causing the second boy to return to normal. Kakashi Hatake then was able to free

himself by creating a ball of lightning in his hand but shortly thereafter passed out. All three of

them, along with Mr. Weasley, were then taken to the Hogwarts infirmary and released the

next day, with Mr. Hatake a few days later. No explanation was given as to why this happened.

One can obviously tell that these two young characters are extremely violent and dangerous

and while one would wonder as to why Dumbledore is allowing such people to remain at

Hogwarts, it must be noted that he is the same man who keeps half-giants and werewolves

as staff members.

It has also come to my attention that Professor Dumbledore has given permission for

the adult to give _taijutsu_ lessons, which apparently means "hand-to-hand combat" lessons.

He gives the excuse that this is necessary if a wizard or witch find themselves without their wand

and need a way to defend themselves, but to be honest a black belt won't do much good against

a well executed curse now would it? A student has disclosed the information that Kakashi has

admitted to the fact that where he comes from (wherever _that_ is) he is an assassin. When I

suggested that he was most likely lying to give clout to his teaching position, the student

shook his head vigorously and informed me that it was very believable that he was.

So my question is, why is a man like this allowed to teach Hogwarts students? Isn't

Professor Dumbledore concerned about their safety? Should these people even be at

Hogwarts at all? One would hope that he comes to his senses, before tragedy strikes.

**

* * *

**

Naruto and Gaara simply stared at the article, too stunned for words.

"_What will happen to us now?_" Naruto asked fearfully. Would they be thrown out? Hunted down by those who thought they were a threat to their children? It's not like it hadn't happened before.

"Reading the paper under the table? Ten points from Gryffindor," Snape's voice interrupted behind them. The two shinobi jumped slightly, having been too focused on the article that they hadn't sensed him coming up behind them. Snape grabbed the newspaper before they could do anything and turned to the three wizards.

"And magazines as well?" he said in mock shock before snatching it. "Another ten points from Gryffindor."

"Well, I suppose Potter and his friends must keep up with their press cuttings . . . " Snape said with a sneer as he glanced back and forth between the two articles. The dungeon rang with the laughter of the Slytherins and an unpleasant smile curled Snape's thin mouth.

"Clearly both articles hold _much _more value than my Potions lesson, so why don't we all benefit as well?" the Potions Master taunted as he walked to the front of the class, setting the papers on the desk.

"Why don't we start with Potter's?" To Harry and Hermione's dismay he started reading the entire article aloud, pausing at the end of every sentence to give time for the Slytherins to laugh and jeer. Harry and Hermione's faces were burning, though Harry's was more due out of anger while Hermione's was out of embarrassment.

"_'_ . . . _next time he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate.' _How very touching," he sneered, rolling up the magazine. Naruto and Gaara knew that not a bit of that article was true, seeing as how they both could tell Hermione had eyes for Ron (and Krum).

"_'Danger at Hogwarts?' _. . . my, my, what a depressing way to start off . . . " The two shinobi looked up in fear, knowing they could do nothing to stop the Professor from reading the article without incapacitating him and that wouldn't go over well.

As he read he still gave time for the Slytherins to laugh and ridicule the shinobi, but he appeared slightly more interested and wary of what he was reading. Of course, he had already heard what had happened, being a teacher and all, but now that it was all out for the open he was somewhat worried about the repercussions. They couldn't be thrown out—they had to stay at Hogwarts. He knew that Dumbledore would never do that though, so he was slightly appeased.

"_' . . . Should these people even be at_ _Hogwarts at all? One would hope that he comes to his senses, before tragedy strikes.' _I must admit that was an enlightening article and I do hope you have Hogwarts' best interests at heart before you turn into fearsome cats and dogs," he chided, no indication of any misgivings in his voice.

"It's apparent that I must now separate the lot of you, seeing as how Miss Granger and Potter feel too strongly towards one another and Misters Sabaku and Uzumaki are dangerous." The Professor then proceeded to direct the wizards and shinobi to different spots in the room, making sure to place all those but Harry by a fellow Slytherin while Harry got to be up by his desk. Once they were situated Snape quietly began speaking to Harry, no doubt antagonizing him.

As Hermione ignored Pansy's taunts, she stole a look back at Naruto and Gaara, biting her lower lip. When Snape first started reading the article they looked like frightened, cornered puppies, but after the first sentence they replaced the look with one of indifference, hardly seeming to hear Snape at all. Just . . . emotionless. Even now they continued on with the assignment over the sneers of their "partner" as if they knew of nothing but potion-making. It broke her heart to see them like that and it was enough to momentarily distract herself from the harsh treatment she had received herself.

* * *

**There you go! Sorry to leave on such a depressing note, but the next chapter is entitled, **_Let Loose the Dogs of War_** and a certain shinobi gets to meet Padfoot! (I've been waiting to write this one for a while) They go into Hogsmeade a few hours later and what happens then will all be included in the next chapter. Plus**—**I'm exhausted, I don't think I can write anymore, and I just got this back from my wonderful beta. Thanks for reading! =)**

**In case any of you are interested, I have some sketches of this chapter posted on my deviantart account. The link is in my profile.  
**


	17. Let Loose the Dogs of War

**And here comes on of my more favorite chapters to write, meeting up with Padfoot! Hurray! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. Sorry that it came later than expected—I gave it to my beta the day before and I've got to remember that she has a life too! I'll work on getting it you earlier** cardcaptor-eternity**!**

**And I must not forget to thank my reviewers! **Darthgamer, master of cheese graters, MadnessLover, bored wonder, dragoncrazy247, Jumpingbeans480, actionliker, Lily Yamamoto, Kuro-no-Tsubasa, Codename Tuffy, yaoifangrl4ever, Erendhyl, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, KatonRyuuka, cardcaptor eternity, dragonlilly1993, dragonlilly1993, pamellka, Ashley, AvatardsUnite MM, candyman123, Sakamoto Michiko, R., MadgirlSBA, the true elec, fooboo27,Elaiener (16!!), yuroshima,X59, FantomoDrako, Megaolix, BlackRoseFire, Magestig20 (3), UtterChaos247, Lord Dragon Claw, lambtastic, Fox Loves Shinigami, Lupanari, aki6, StarsInTheRain, vine, SilverHowler, Madeline Cullen, sugercrazedninja, Akalagirl123, shadow shinobi57, xX Naru Fantasy Xx, SutaakiHitori (2), Sonia120462, **and **kimcat**! You guys are awesome!**

bored wonder** was the 700th reviewer, so as a request here are your chocolate chip cookies! Please enjoy! Oh, and I would also like to thank **bored wonder** for helping me with Naruto's new jutsu!**

lambtastic **was the 750th reviewer, and there has been a special event request which will be addressed in a later chapter.**

Elaiener** was a super reviewer and reviewed ALL 16 CHAPTERS IN ONE SITTING! She has requested beef lo mein, and I'm gonna go ahead and toss in some truffles for dessert while I'm at it. Thank you so much! **

* * *

The rest of the day was not very pleasant for the two shinobi. The Slytherins kept pestering them, calling them "daft and dangerous" while others glanced at them fearfully, not wanting to be too close to them for fear of being attacked.

"Honestly—do they think you're just suddenly going to attack them now even though you've been here a few months already?" Hermione protested indignantly.

"Yeah, and even if you were, the element of surprise would definitely be ruined," Ron offered.

"Ron!" Hermione said angrily. The redhead looked ashamed as he realized his attempt to help just backfired.

Naruto smirked. "Though if we really wanted to, it wouldn't matter if they were informed or not."

"So . . . are you—you know—okay about this?" Harry asked tentatively, knowing how vicious press releases like that could be from personal experience.

Naruto shrugged. "All she really did was restate what I'm sure the whole school knew already from gossip—it's just that now everyone outside of Hogwarts knows too."

"Including the parents," Gaara continued. "While some may have told their parents anyway, there is no doubt every one of them knows by now, and they might complain to Dumbledore to send us away."

The three wizards looked at each other fearfully, realizing they had a point.

Harry swore suddenly, turning to Ron.

"What's your mom gonna say?" All the color drained from Ron's face as he remembered that the article mentioned him being thrown against the wall when trying to help Naruto.

"You don't think she'll send me another Howler, do you?" he asked in fear.

"What's a Howler?" Naruto asked in spite of himself.

"It's a bewitched letter that screams what's written in the sender's voice. It's not a very pleasant thing to receive," Harry explained, recalling when Ron received his their second year.

"If you explain things to her she might understand," Hermione offered hopefully.

"Yeah—sure," Ron mumbled, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Well—at least a visit to Hogsmeade will cheer you up!" Hermione said brightly.

"I guess so," Naruto grinned, already back to his old self.

"Oi, mates!"

The wizards and shinobi turned around to see Fred and George coming up to them.

"So we were thinking—" Fred began.

"—that with that horrible article and all—" George continued.

"—you might want some cheering up—"

"—and we're just the gents to do it," George finished.

Naruto raised an eyebrow but smirked all the same. "Sure! Why not?" Gaara simply shrugged and started following them, his mood lighter.

As they started walking away from the trio Fred turned around and winked at Ron, who mouthed a very relieved _thank you_. He had asked his brothers to invite the shinobi to hang out with them during their trip because they had a meeting with Sirius, and for obvious reasons couldn't have the shinobi hanging around.

Of course—the twins had no idea they were meeting Sirius, just that they had something they needed to do without them. They weren't completely keen with the idea, but Ron had let the possibility slip that he would write mom about the mysterious letters they were sending, so they immediately consented, promising their brother that he owed them at a later date.

Unbeknownst to the wizards, Kakashi was trailing them. He had uncovered what the last letter said—telling them to meet him in Hogsmeade, and he knew that this was his best chance to uncover who this mysterious man was and be able to determine whether or not he was dangerous.

He had searched for a man by the name of Sirius in the library's records, and discovered that he was most likely Sirius Black—a mass murderer who killed thirteen people a couple years ago. The jounin remembered scoffing at the number. _Thirteen?_ A typical shinobi had killed three times as much as that as a chuunin. It was probably a lot for this society though, he figured.

At any rate—this man was rumored to be extremely dangerous and mentally unstable, and that was the cause of his worries. However, he and his two students (Gaara was as good as one by now anyway) were labeled as such and while it was true they were killers and dangerous, it didn't mean that they were evil. It's just what a shinobi is by definition. Besides, rumors and gossip generally weren't the best sources of truth; he should know.

Despite the simplicity of the "mission" because they were mere children with no shinobi training, Kakashi went into full ANBU mode, just for the sake of it. The wizard world was fascinating and had its surprises, but there wasn't much action and he did _not_ want to go back to Konoha all rusty. Not being in top form meant you'd die.

* * *

Just as Kakashi was beginning to wonder if the children had been given previous instructions contrary to the message he intercepted, the wizard trio soon made their way down a forlorn road. The jounin sighed in relief, because there was only so much sock hunting for Dobby he could have taken. For some reason the children were carrying bags of food—chicken, judging by the smell. Perhaps they were giving it to him as a sort of tribute or truce?

As they neared the edge of the village a scraggy, black dog made its way towards them carrying a newspaper in its mouth. Kakashi felt sympathy for the dog, seeing that it most likely hadn't had a proper meal for a while, but was astonished when Harry greeted it, addressing the dog as Sirius.

_So their secret meeting is with a dog?_ Kakashi thought incredulously. Perhaps it was just the pet of the real person.

Yet when he focused on the creature, he realized that it wasn't completely a dog—that there was something off about it.

_Is it a type of genjutsu?_ he wondered. No, that wasn't it. He would have sensed the expelled chakra. Could it be that the dog could shapeshift? It was possible that this Sirius person was an Animagus, but there had been no record of any Sirius registered as a dog—although Kakashi couldn't rule out the fact that he was unregistered.

The dog-creature led them up the mountain, with the wizards struggling to follow. Kakashi was amazed at their lack of strength and agility, figuring that the people of this world didn't place as much emphasis on physical strength. It was obvious they cared more about the mental strength seeing as how they were in school for such a long period of time.

Finally the dog brought them to a cave and Kakashi had to be more careful with being in a more confined space. His eyes widened in surprise as he caught sight of what he assumed to be a hippogriff, if his memory served.

_Another creature employed by this 'Sirius' character?_ However, his attention was soon drawn to the dog who had instantly transformed into a man.

"Chicken!" he said hoarsely, snatching the meat from Harry's bag and attacking it with a ferocity that only came from great starvation, one that Kakashi knew from experience.

He felt slight pity for the man, especially when he revealed that he had been previously living off rats, going by his frail and ragged appearance. However, the fact still remained that he was a possible dangerous person and since his duty was to take care of Harry, he had to make sure that he posed no threat.

Harry had correctly identified the man as "Sirius" and a few comments later Kakashi learned that he was apparently Harry's godfather—whatever that meant. Everyone seemed to be relaxed but there was still doubt in his mind.

"You three and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I'm an Animagus," Sirius said, continuing to savagely devour the chicken.

_So I was right,_ Kakashi noted with slight satisfaction. _He is an unregistered Animagus, which probably is how he was able to evade capture all this time._

Time was running out of options for him to take action, and he figured that now was as good as ever.

"Don't move," Kakashi warned.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione jumped back in surprise as Kakashi materialized out of nowhere, holding a kunai to Sirius' neck with the other hand gripping his left arm tightly.

"What are you doing?!" Harry yelled angrily.

"Protecting _you_, obviously," was the reply. "Do you know how much harder you make my job when you wander off meeting convicted criminals? I cannot allow you to besmirch my reputation, be it in this dimension or my own."

"What a charming man," Sirius scoffed, as if he were unaware of the weapon resting directly above his jugular nerve. "Where'd you find this piece of work, Harry?"

Before Harry could respond Sirius transformed into a dog once more, releasing himself from Kakashi's grasp. The jounin back up instinctively and Sirius bared his teeth, growling dangerously at the shinobi. Then, as if moved by a signal they charged towards each other at once, Kakashi's hands going through a flurry of hand signs while Sirius snarled.

_"Immoblius!"_ Hermione cried, pointing her wand at the two men. They froze in midair somewhat comically and were it under different circumstances the wizards would have found the situation hilarious. "Now before you go and _kill_ each other," she huffed, glaring at each in turn, "why don't we settle this like _civilized_ men?"

"We'll only let you go under the promise that you won't attack until we have explained everything to you," Harry cut in. "Agreed?" They each gave a muffled grunt of reply and Hermione complied, releasing the spell and allowing them to fall to the floor yet they each landed gracefully, moving to opposite ends with Sirius reverting back to his real form, resuming his meal.

"First off, Sirius this is Kakashi Hatake from another dimension," Harry began, gesturing to the shinobi. "He and two of his students were accidentally brought here by Neville and Dumbledore is trying to find a way to send them back, but in the meantime they are helping with security of the Tournament and—" he added bitterly, "—Dumbledore has requested he keep an eye on me."

Sirius nodded in recognition. "So _you're _one of the 'daft and dangerous' foreigners we all need to be worried about, huh?"

Kakashi frowned. "'Daft and dangerous?' What do you mean?"

"In today's article," Sirius replied, confused that he did not know. "Rita Skeeter—"

"Never mind about that now," Ron said quickly, not wanting to move too off topic.

"Anyway," Harry continued, "This is Sirius Black, my godfather and—"

"An escaped convict from Azkaban, I know," Kakashi interrupted. "Which is exactly why I am at a loss as to why you are meeting him willingly—"

"He's innocent!" Hermione said angrily. "He was falsely accused by Peter Pettigrew, and has been hiding from the Ministry ever since!"

Kakashi quirked his eyebrow. "So he says."

"I swear on my life that what he says is true!" Harry protested angrily. If they didn't convince Kakashi then Sirius was dead for sure, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Even Dumbledore agrees with us," Hermione added.

There was complete silence for the next few minutes, save Sirius' munching on the last of his chicken and Buckbeak gnawing on the bones thrown to him. The jounin glanced from wizard to wizard, seemingly deep in contemplation.

"I believe you," he said finally, smiling as he did so.

All three wizards let out a breath they didn't realize they had been holding. That had been close!

"I apologize for my actions earlier, Sirius," Kakashi apologized, nodding slightly in the wizard's direction.

"No need," Sirius smiled. "You seem to be quite an interesting man. One who doesn't take no for an answer and a true warrior. Just the type of man I like. Perhaps we could talk later, share our stories."

"Indeed—I should like to hear more about your story as well," Kakashi grinned. Now that he knew there was no need to worry about him, Kakashi was eager to befriend the wizard. Sirius had a certain air about him that was not too unlike a shinobi.

The topic of discussion soon moved to the whereabouts of Barty Crouch and speculations about who wanted to kill off Harry; everyone doing their best to try and figure out the evident problem before it became serious.

"What's the time?" Harry looked down to check his watch only to remember it died after the plunge into the lake and Hermione opened her mouth to answer after consulting her watch, but someone cut her off.

"Half past three, I believe," Kakashi said, glancing outside quizzically.

"How'd you know?" Hermione asked in amazement.

Kakashi shrugged. "Just judging from the weather outside."

"At any rate, you three had better get back to the school," Sirius interrupted as he rose to his feet. After giving Harry some sound advice to his safety he moved to transform back into his dog form. "I'll walk to the edge of the village with you; see if I can scrounge another paper."

"Someone might find it curious that you are returning to the village while being led by a dog," Kakashi interjected. "Doing so could risk Sirius's cover, so I'll just have a bunshin transport you inside Hogwarts." As the three wizards looked up with shock and excitement, Sirius frowned as Kakashi chanted, "_Kage bunshin no jutsu!_" As the second Kakashi appeared Sirius's eyes widened in amazement, looking back and forth between Kakashi and the bunshin.

"Now I believe you're from another dimension," he said incredulously.

Kakashi chuckled and directed his bunshin towards the wizards, giving some instructions in Japanese. Once they disappeared the jounin turned towards Sirius.

"So, about this Peter Pettigrew . . . . "

* * *

"A pity you don't live in my dimension," Kakashi laughed as he stroked Buckbeak. "A man like you would make an excellent shinobi."

"I'll take that as a compliment, judging by your description of what a shinobi is," Sirius grinned. "I would very much like to visit someday if I could."

"If there is a way to get us back," Kakashi sighed.

"If you were brought here, then you can be put back, my friend," Sirius concluded, standing up and stretching his muscles. "I wish that I could be a better host, but . . . " He gestured their surroundings. "My current situation can not call for it."

Kakashi shrugged. "Doesn't matter." Then he furrowed his brow contemplatively and stood up with his hands in his pockets. "If . . . if you don't mind—I think I may have a way for us to go into Hogsmeade without you needing to resort to your other form."

Sirius laughed. "Even though the dementors are no longer here, the moment anyone sees me I will be forced to flee again."

"No—I have the ability to change your appearance with a jutsu of mine. It's usually used on oneself, but the ability to change other objects remains."

"What, like a Polyjuice Potion?"

"Better than that, because it can be done instantly and the duration depends on the chakra capabilities of the shinobi," Kakashi explained.

"You can . . . really change my appearance?" Sirius asked skeptically. Kakashi held his hands up in the traditional sign.

"_Henge!_" As the smoke cleared Sirius gasped in amazement and had to rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing things correctly. Standing before him was an exact replica of himself!

"Is that really what I look like at the present moment?" he asked with slight disgust as he encircled the shinobi.

"Sadly, yes," Kakashi chuckled before reverting back to his normal self.

"Living on the run can do that to you, I guess."

"I can change your appearance so no one would know you are Sirius Black and you can join me for a decent meal at the Three Broomsticks," Kakashi offered. "My treat. We could even get you some decent clothes to wear."

"That would be nice. I haven't had a cooked meal in—who knows how long," Black said quietly.

"All the more reason to do it, Sirius," Kakashi said kindly, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Why do all this for me? We were ready to fight each other to the death earlier you know," Sirius reminded him.

"It has been my experience that friends are scarce," Kakashi said softly. "Might as well make time with the ones you have."

"Well I'm honored," Sirius smiled. "May it also be due to the fact that you have to look after bratty wizards all day?"

The jounin chuckled. "Quite true, quite true. The only ones I have to socialize with are young teenagers and aged teachers. Can get boring after a while."

A few minutes later, "Obito" and "James" were sitting down at a table to a hearty meal, with brandy to wash it down. Kakashi had chosen to change his appearance as well, because people would notice him eating with a stranger and questions that didn't need to be answered would arise. Plus, he was tired of eating in the fashion he always did when wearing his mask.

"This brandy of your world is quite interesting," Kakashi noted as he sampled the foreign liquid. "Can't compare with sake though."

"Another reason I wish I could visit your dimension!" Sirius chuckled. Kakashi had altered his appearance according to the suggestions Sirius made before leaving the cave. Black was now a tall, lanky man with messy black hair, and Kakashi looked like an older version of his dear friend. His first thoughts were to look like his sensei, but that would only raise suspicion if someone looking just like Naruto were to be walking around. Now the two men looked like they could be brothers.

"So what other friends do you have?" Kakashi asked as he started cutting apart his steak.

Sirius sighed as he pulled apart his roll into small pieces before putting them in his mouth. "Well, Peter's out of the question—don't know where he is or what happened to him. James—as you know—is dead, so I guess the only other real friend I have is Remus Lupin. He was a teacher here at Hogwarts for Defense Against the Dark Arts and I finally got to meet him after all these years. Of course, he suspected me for a moment but once I explained to him the situation with Peter he immediately understood and welcomed me back. He's quite a dear friend of mine."

"Sounds like a great man. Wish I could meet him someday."

"And you?" Sirius asked politely, now finished with his roll and moving on to his steaming mashed potatoes.

Kakashi was silent for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. "Well, other than the members of my original team who are all dead, I suppose there are Gai and Asuma who are my closest friends, as well as Yamato. Gai is uh . . . an interesting character to say the least. He is always challenging me to ridiculous duels and if he were here now I'm sure these wizards would do their best to lock him up," he chuckled.

"That crazy, huh?"

"You have no idea," Kakashi warned as he drank some more brandy. Thinking back to his friends in Konoha made Kakashi homesick all of the sudden—something he had been trying to distract himself from. As time wore on he couldn't help but feel a sense of hopelessness, wondering if there really was a chance for them to be sent back. The jounin figured he'd go mad if that were the case. Konoha was his home and fighting was his life. He was also amazed to find that he would miss a lot of people dearly, including his other two students.

Despite the many facts that proved otherwise, Kakashi still held a small sense of hope for Sasuke's return. He had of course been furious with the boy's decision, especially since it was right after he had tried to show the boy that there is more to life than revenge. Sasuke's betrayal was like a slap in the face to all they'd been through together as a team, contrary to everything he had tried to instill into his subordinates about teamwork. Although he did not show it, Kakashi had been deeply affected in the week that followed, unable to go on any missions because of the grief it left him with.

He spent most of that time in front of the memorial stone, head buried in shame as he realized that he had been so blind and he had failed the last hope for the Uchiha clan. He knew of what happened to Sasuke and wanted to help him greatly because the boy scared him in a sense. Kakashi saw too much of himself in the Uchiha and tried his best to keep him from making the same mistake he did. Lot of good that did him.

* * *

The next day Kakashi was walking through the corridors when he ran into Harry and his friends. "Visiting the house elves again?" he asked, gesturing to the bags of food they were carrying. All three of them nodded sheepishly.

"We ah . . . thought we could give some food to Snuffles!" Ron chuckled nervously. "We were just on our way to the Owlery."

"Aren't you putting him in danger by sending him stuff?" Kakashi asked. "An owl continually going to a certain place on a regular basis would raise suspicions."

"But we'd use a different bird each time," Harry offered.

Kakashi shook his head. "It's too risky."

"So what—you want him to live off rats for the rest of his life?!" Harry said indignantly.

"I didn't say that," Kakashi sighed. "Just give the food to me and I'll save you the trouble."

Hermione smiled. "That would be a lot safer. Come on, let's go talk to Hagrid."

Monday morning, Naruto and Gaara noticed that Hermione and Ron seemed to be in a sour mood and figured it was best to ignore it. From what they could tell it was over something regarding the house elves. Their past Hogsmeade visit had been quite enjoyable with Fred and George, spending a great deal of their time in Zonko's Gift shop and then outside to play tricks on passing Slytherins. Malfoy had been quite an—unfortunate target.

The argument soon was pushed out of their minds as the shinobi and Hermione received quite a few letters.

"What are all these owls doing here?" Naruto wondered aloud. "Why would we get mail?"

"I have no idea," Gaara admitted as he shooed away an owl that was perched on his head. As they opened the letters Hermione became flustered and turned pink while the shinobi just stared at the letters in confusion.

"We can't read English!" Naruto protested. "What are they?!"

"Hate mail," Hermione spat. "_You are a wicked girl. Harry Potter deserves better. Go back where you came from Muggle . . ._ Oh they're all the same! _You deserve to be boiled in frog spawn . . . _Ouch!" Upon opening the last envelope a sickly colored liquid came out and surrounded her hand, erupting in yellow boils.

"Undiluted bubotuber pus!" Ron exclaimed in amazement as he examined the liquid.

"Ow!" Hermione said as tears sprung into her eyes.

"Go to Madame Pomfrey!" Harry urged her, to which she immediately obeyed, cradling her hand as she did so.

"Oi! What do these say?" Naruto asked, waving two slips of paper in front of Harry's face. "They look like they're cut out of something so we can't use our wands to translate them!"

Harry snatched the two papers out of Naruto's hands and looked them over. "_You had better leave and go back where you came from . . . None of us want you here endangering our children . . . "_

"_Monsters like you can't be trusted . . ._" Ron continued, glancing over Gaara's. "_You don't belong at Hogwarts . . . _Don't open that!" Ron cried as Naruto reached out to open another letter, but it was too late. The area around Naruto erupted in a small cloud of smoke and those nearby covered their noses as the smell of dung reached their noses.

"Someone sent you a dungbomb!" Seamus yelled as he backed away from Naruto. The blonde barely heard what was said because he was too busy dealing with the intense smell, due to his heightened senses.

_Is this how Kiba felt in the chuunin exams? _he wondered to himself. In the back of his mind he could almost hear Kiba laughing at him, telling him that he deserved it and justice was finally served.

"Leb's ge ouba here," Gaara said as he covered his nose. Naruto nodded his agreement and the two transported out of the Dining Hall. Lavender quickly used her wand to fill the surrounding area with a flowery scent to mask the dung smell, much to the appreciation to all those in the immediate vicinity.

Suddenly there was another loud bang that brought everyone's attention to the front of the hall at the teacher's table. Kakashi had been so distracted by what had happened to his students that he didn't realize he was opening a letter without first examining it. The letter had erupted into small fireworks all around him, singing the sleeves of his jacket and burning his wrists slightly. Thankfully he was wearing the dragon hide gloves from Hagrid so it wasn't as worse as it could have been.

As the teachers looked at him in concern after he had cried out in surprise Kakashi felt embarrassed. A shinobi of his stature shouldn't have been caught off guard like that! He had been previously reading through various letters that parents undoubtedly had sent just for him, telling him that he should stay away from their children or else, he needed to leave Hogwarts, he was evil, etc. He had of course read through the article once he got back from Hogsmeade and was slightly concerned over the repercussions that it would bring, but figured it couldn't be too serious—yet it appeared he had been wrong.

"You should get those burns looked at," Professor Flitwick suggested in concern. Kakashi nodded despite the fact that he had received worse in the past but he estimated they were at least second-degree burns and that would certainly inhibit his ability to create hand signs at his normal speed.

"I apologize for making a mess," he said with a slight bow as he stood up and gathered the remaining letters and cleaned the scorch marks on the table with a flick of his wand, then disappeared. After landing in the hospital wing he performed a slight katon jutsu to destroy the letters and waited patiently as Madame Pomfrey attended to Hermione's injured hand.

* * *

Later on that night Kakashi found himself in Dumbledore's office, his clothes restored and bandages around his wrists. They hurt every so often when he moved them, but he didn't have time to dwell on the pain at the moment. Once he had been taken care of he had went to see how his students were doing and they had to burn Naruto's robe and clothes due to the overpowering stench.

"What happened earlier today was certainly regrettable," the headmaster sighed apologetically. "Now that we know that you, your students, and Miss Granger are now susceptible to these types of letters I shall employ a simple screening on any mail addressed to the four of you."

Kakashi nodded his appreciation, but he could tell there was more.

Dumbledore paused for a second, a bit unsure of how to go on. "I am sorry to tell you that, in light of recent events we are going to have to cancel your weekly taijutsu lessons."

The jounin's eye widened in shock but his voice betrayed his emotion. "May I inquire as to why?"

The Headmaster rubbed his temples wearily. "Believe me that I don't make this decision lightly, Kakashi. I have been receiving owls from concerned parents who know that their children have been taking the class from you, complaining that I am endangering their students by allowing something like this to happen. I'm having a hard enough time as it is convincing the Ministry to let me keep you here at Hogwarts, and I think that is all I am able to do in the situation."

"For that much we are grateful," Kakashi said, bowing in respect. "I do not want to cause you any trouble. Thank you very much. Is that all?"

"We are going to inform the champions about the third task in about a week, and I would like your students to be there as well so they can learn what they will do to assist us." Kakashi nodded and left.

* * *

Kakashi soon made regular visits to Sirius's cave, bringing him food that Harry and his friends nicked from the kitchens and just sat down to chat with the man. He felt pity for Sirius, having to stay cooped up the way he was because Kakashi knew he was a fighter like himself, someone who enjoyed the lure of danger and was a warrior. They even sparred a few times through spells and taijutsu, each giving sage advice to the other.

One day, however, instead of transporting back to Hogwarts he decided to walk around Hogsmeade for the fresh air and once he noticed a certain woman an ingenious plan started formulating in his mind.

"I'm telling you, I'm tired of not knowing anything about Barty's condition! We have to dig up something about him, my readers are quite anxious seeing as how the regular news has nothing to report," the woman complained to her cameraman.

Today she was sporting a neon-green dress with pink stripes—the colors almost making Kakashi gag but it was nonetheless different than her other outfits. He was currently leaning against a tree and as she passed he coughed loudly.

"Oh, Kakashi—was it?" Rita said with fake cheeriness, turning her attention to him. "What brings you here?"

"Your . . . _charming_ article," Kakashi chuckled dangerously, pushing himself off of the tree and walked over to her.

"It was necessary to expose the truth," Rita said offhandedly. Because they were out in the open she obviously assumed she was safe. "That's my job, and you can't have any objections to that."

"No-no-no-no-no," Kakashi said, waving his hand placidly. "My problem is not that you wrote the article, but the fact that you did such a mediocre job of conveying the truth to your readers."

"A mediocre job!" she exclaimed, clearly offended. "I'll have you know that—"

"Oh, it's hardly your fault," Kakashi continued, placing his hands in his pockets. "It was expected because you did not have enough material."

"And you can . . . provide me with—more material?" Rita asked, unsure of his intentions.

"Yes," Kakashi smiled.

The female reporter folded her arms and pursed her lips, turning over the offer in her mind.

"You _really_ want to help?" she asked skeptically.

"I give you my word as a shinobi," Kakashi pledged, placing his right arm over his chest in the traditional ANBU salute—minus kneeling for obvious reasons.

Rita shrugged. "Why not?" With renewed vigor she whipped out her Quick Quotes Quill and levitating pad.

"Oh—I don't think you'll be needing that," the jounin said with dark humor. As Rita frowned Kakashi reached up to his headband and pulled it up, uncovering his scarred eye. The journalist cringed but was unable to turn away.

"Wh . . . what are you . . . what are you doing?" she asked slowly. Her companion frowned, looking back and forth between her and Kakashi and made a move to comfort her, but he stopped the instant Kakashi opened the eye, exposing the Sharingan.

"Merlin's beard . . . " the man whispered.

"Why is your eye—" Rita began.

"You said you wanted to know the truth," Kakashi growled. "Now it's time to give you a taste of what you're really dealing with." His eye started spinning and Rita tensed, her body grew rigid, and Kakashi leaned forward, keeping Obito's eye trained on the reporter.

Suddenly she screamed, with those nearby covering their ears protectively yet Kakashi did not flinch. He simply moved in closer and glared at Rita who continued to gaze into the pride of the Uchiha with a complete look of horror. She covered her mouth and shrieked some more.

After a few more minutes of screaming Rita's eyes rolled in the back of her head and she collapsed into the arms of her cameraman who barely recovered in time to stop her from falling to the ground.

"What did you do?! You monster!" one of the nearby women called out.

Kakashi said nothing as he carefully placed his headband over his left eye and turned towards the woman with a sad look in his visible one.

"Monster, ne?" he sighed, looking at the ground and then back at the woman. "I showed her some monsters all right. I only wish it wasn't true." Those nearby frowned in confusion at the strange response and watched as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

"_What's going on?" Rita called out. "Where am I?" One moment she had been staring at that weird foreigner's eye—and the next she was in some large, empty space. Everything around her was gray and there seemed to be some sort of fog gathering around her. _

"_Where am I?!" she screamed, more hysterically than before. _

"_In the recesses of your own mind," a voice called out. It was obviously the foreigner's, but it was as if he were a million places at once. "Though I must admit I'm not surprised—this place is as empty as a bottle of sake when Tsunade's around." _

"_Get me out of here!" she pleaded, ignoring the strange insult. _

"_You said you wanted the truth!" the man said angrily. Rita whimpered and covered her head. _

"_I don't want to know anymore! Let me go!" _

"_Not until you know! Watch—and remember." Suddenly Rita's gray world was shrouded in orange and she glanced around frantically. A deep, unnatural laugh cut through the air and for some reason it sent such a chill down her spine that she couldn't move at all and she wished that something would come and swallow her up. _

"_Open your eyes you worthless witch!" Rita whimpered fearfully and complied but immediately wished she didn't. Standing before her was the most fearsome creature she had ever seen but it couldn't be real! It just couldn't! _

_The creature was enormous, such that she could only see the face but it appeared that it had nine tails, and its eyes were pure evil. She guessed it was a fox, but unlike any fox she had ever seen. _

"_You can stop screaming now," the foreigner sighed as if he were disgusted with her actions. Rita closed her mouth, not even aware that she had opened it. _

"_What is that thing?" she cried. _

"_Kyuubi no Kitsune—one of the monsters from where I am from. Here is another like it." The giant fox soon gave way to another enormous creature that appeared to be made of some strange material, with one tail, and it reminded her of some type of cat or dog-like creature—what it was exactly she had no idea. _

"_Shukaku, another demon from my home." The demon chuckled happily and Rita couldn't help but scream again—it was absolutely terrifying! Going by sheer size alone it was as big as or maybe bigger than the Hogwarts castle. _

_Then to her relief the creature disappeared and the foreigner materialized before her. _

"_Please—please!" she begged, rushing forward. Her trembling fingers grasped his jacket frantically and she shook him. "I'll do anything! Just get me out of here!"_

_Kakashi threw her hands off him and backed away in disgust. "There is still a little more for you to see." _

"_I don't want to see anymore!" she cried, losing control as she pounded her hands in the air and shook her head, a few tears running down her face. _

"_You still haven't seen mine yet." Suddenly the creature disappeared and Rita found herself surrounded by hundreds of violent and scary-looking men in strange uniforms similar to the foreigner's. She turned to Kakashi but to her amazement he had transformed into what was obviously a younger version of himself, still with a mask, but he scared her more for some reason. _

"_What's going on?!" she wailed, trying to appeal to the young boy. He paid her no heed and withdrew a small, white sword of some kind and then took off, ruthlessly killing each and every person that surrounded them with deadly accuracy. Rita screamed in fear and agony as blood flew everywhere, getting on her clothes and face. She had never really been all too fond of blood anyway, and now there was so much on the floor that it was as if there had been a rainstorm. _

_Within minutes every single person had been killed, their bodies strewn out all over the floor and the young boy was a few feet in front of her, his glistening sword littered with the iron substance hanging at his side. _

_"This is the power that my associates and I contain," the boy said, but with his older voice which added to his fearful appearance. "Do you see now that you have been quite misguided?"_

_"Yes_—_yes, I agree!' she sobbed, sinking down to her knees as she buried her face into her hands despite the fact that there were splatters of blood all over her. "Just let me go."_

_"As you wish," Kakashi complied vehemently._

* * *

As Kakashi made his way to the Gryffindor common room he thought back to his previous actions. _Maybe that was a little harsh_, he thought with a small twinge of guilt. _It might have been too much for her to handle. _Deciding he didn't really have an answer (and that he didn't care) Kakashi then focused his attention on his students. They were going to inform the champions about the third task tomorrow, so he wanted them to be ready.

* * *

"They're hedges!" Harry exclaimed as he and Cedric made their way to the Quidditch field. The shinobi listened as Bagman explained to the four champions that the third task was a maze and that the object was to get to the center to reach the Triwizard Cup. After he told them the order of when they would enter, he turned to Kakashi, gesturing for him to continue.

"Naruto, Gaara, and I will be watching from the top of the hedges during the entire tournament. Whenever someone sends up red sparks we will be there immediately to help assist you in anyway we can and then bring you back to the front where you can be treated by Madame Pomfrey if you require assistance. Remember—sending up red sparks means that you are willing to come out of the maze because we will not bring you back. Understood?" All four champions nodded grimly and Kakashi stepped back.

"Any questions? Very well . . . we'll go back up to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly . . . " Bagman continued once they were finished. Naruto and Gaara immediately took off, with Naruto saying something about wanting to work on a new jutsu, leaving Kakashi to travel behind everyone else. The jounin narrowed his eyes as Bagman came closer to Harry with the full intent to talk to him, but to his surprise Krum reached him first.

"Could I haff a vord?" the boy asked, his voice rich with accent.

"Yeah, all right," Harry replied, obviously as surprised as Kakashi was.

"Vill you valk vith me?"

"Er . . . " Harry glanced at Kakashi, who nonverbally asked him if Harry wanted him to stay, but the boy urged Kakashi on with a look of, _I'll be okay_. Kakashi nodded his assent and kept on walking while Harry and Krum took off in a slightly different direction. Kakashi knew that nothing could happen while Harry was with Krum because he had done somewhat of a background check on him and he could tell Krum was kind so there was nothing to worry about.

It's not like they were going to be attacked or anything—right?

* * *

**Real Quick: iAlly from deviantART drew some fanart for this chapter! Thank you so much and I urge you all to check out her drawing! It's really good, here is the URL:**

http: //ially. deviantart .com /art/NxHP -Dogs-of-War- 112331407

**(If for some reason this doesn't work for you I have the link in my profile!)**

**

* * *

**

**Well, what do you think? I had a lot of fun and I hope that Kakashi's revenge on Rita wasn't**

**_too_ bad. I enjoyed tormenting her so.**

**Wow . . . there was a **_**definite**_** lack of Naruto and Gaara in this chapter. Oh well! I guess I couldn't have helped that.**


	18. In Training

**Hello everyone! I hope you've all had a smashing time since the last update and that you enjoy this one! **

**I would like to thank the following people for their kind words: **SongoftheDarquePhoenix, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, Pissed Off Irish Chick, yuroshima, Lupanari, darthgamer, geetac, Jay and silent bob, MadgirlSBA, Kakashifangirlnumber1000, Megaolix, cardcaptor eternity, Elaienar, MadnessLover, Touketsu HerutsuandNai Homare, KatonRyuuka, ArrangedloveMatch, Lily Yamamoto, yaoifangrl4ever, Maeleana, Johnny boy, Iyrsiiea, Jumpingbeans480, The-Eighth-Sin, Madeline Cullen, Sonia120462, papercliped-angel, SutaakiHitori, ONeill-Fan14, zornoid13, Eillipse, dragoncrazy247, vine, AvatardsUniteMM, bored wonder, Magestig20, sugarcrazedninja, kimcat, the true elec, X59, Lord Dragon Claw, NekoKriszty (3), moonray9, ArchangelX, Fox Loves Shinigami, MichaelaTheUchiha, MichaelaTheUchiha, MichaelaTheUchiha, evil-step-sister, StarsInTheRain, candyman123, YoshiMagick, Gingerleaves, Namikazelil, kittyore9, Cana Hatake, Lupa Lunae, SilverHowler, **and** shinimoeru.

Cana Hatake—**Thanks for the review! So glad you're enjoying it so far and that you liked the sexy jutsu, and that you like the new one that will be revealed in this chapter! And who doesn't like our favorite copy ninja? I also can't wait to get started on it!!**

Loesmar—**I am unable to answer your question if there is no way for me to contact you! If you could make it possible for me to PM you then I will gladly answer your question**.

**In other news,** bored wonder **has also managed to snag the 800th review!** **As requested here is a batch of snickerdoodles!**

**Oh . . . and THE LATEST NARUTO CHAPTER (439) IS FREAKIN' AWESOME AND THE COOLEST THING TO HAPPEN IN NARUTO HISTORY!!! AAAAAAAHHHHH!!! (dies from sheer awesomeness)**

**Just wanted to put out another thank you to my wonderful beta, **cardcaptor eternity**! I luv you girl! You rock!**

* * *

As Kakashi made his way through the castle corridors he felt an increasing sense of uneasiness. _Maybe I shouldn't have left him alone with Krum_, he thought nervously. He paused, glanced over his shoulder, and turned around. _That's it; I've got to check up on him. _

Just as he was about to transport to the place he saw Harry last he sensed movement ahead. A moment later he realized it was Harry and Dumbledore's magic signatures and they were moving quite fast. Confused, Kakashi body-flickered to their position, startling Harry.

"Blimey!" he wheezed while clutching his heart. "Give a guy some warning, won't ya?!"

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked, directing the question to Dumbledore.

"Harry was talking with Mr. Krum and Barty Crouch appeared, talking about how he needed to see me about Voldemort," the Headmaster explained quickly.

"Where was this, Harry?" Kakashi asked as he stepped closer to the pair.

"Just a few feet away from where Krum and I were talking," Harry said, his body twitching to keep moving forward. "We need to get there _now_—"

"My feelings exactly," Kakashi said with a smile as he grasped both Harry and Dumbledore's arms. Before they could say anything the Hogwart's corridor was covered in smoke and once it cleared a moment later they found themselves on the grounds.

"Remarkable way to travel," Dumbledore chuckled.

"We were over here by the carriages," Harry said, running over to them. "Viktor?" When there was no response Harry became worried.

"They were here," he said weakly. "They were definitely somewhere around here . . . "

Kakashi closed his eyes and searched for a magic signature, hoping they were within sensing range.

"About two meters from where you're standing Harry," the jounin said quickly. "But I should warn you—" The warning fell on deaf ears as Dumbledore and Harry ran to the spot Kakashi specified.

"_Lumos_," Dumbledore said as they reached the spot Kakashi told them to go.

"No!" Harry cried out, noticing his body sprawled out on the ground. "Is he dead?"

"No," Kakashi assured Harry as he bent down to inspect the boy. "He's just unconscious."

"Stunned, more like it," Dumbledore said softly. The headmaster then peered at the surrounding trees before sending something silvery towards the direction of Hagrid's cabin.

"Should I fetch Madame Pomfrey?" Kakashi asked.

"No need," Dumbledore said swiftly as he pointed his wand at Krum. "_Ennervate_."

Krum's eyes shot open and after a second sat straight up. "He attacked me!" he cried as Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder. "The old madman attacked me! I vos looking around to see vare Potter had gone and he attacked from behind!"

"Lie still for a moment," Dumbledore said.

"I'll go see if I can find Mr. Crouch," Kakashi announced as he withdrew a kunai. At Harry's widened eyes Kakashi quickly explained. "This is only for protection. These woods are filled with dangerous creatures and they might hurt Mr. Crouch in his weakened condition." At Dumbledore's nod the jounin took off deeper into the forest.

There was a definite trail left by Mr. Crouch and he was able to follow the trail easily. When he was about twenty meters away from where Harry and the others were, Kakashi ceased running and bent down to inspect the ground.

_There was an obvious struggle here,_ he noted, looking at the bent grass and uprooted earth. _That means someone would have been fighting Mr. Crouch . . ._ The jounin closed his eyes and lowered his head down to the ground and sniffed it, trying to identify the different scents.

His eyes widened at what he discovered. _No—that cannot be!_ To be sure Kakashi lowered his mask and sniffed again, but there was no mistaking it. Suddenly Kakashi sensed someone nearby and stood up instantly, holding his kunai out defensively.

"Who's there?" he called out. "Identify yourself!" When there was no answer Kakashi grew slightly uneasy. Off to his right he sensed movement and spun around to meet the figure, who was too far away to see clearly.

Kakashi sniffed the air and his eyes widened. "So it's you!" he called out. "The one who put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire and the one who took Mr. Crouch!"

"My, my, you're so perceptive, Kakashi," a voice called out. It seemed to belong to a young man, near the jounin's own age.

"Well, I don't know what you're planning," Kakashi chuckled as he got in a defensive stance. "But challenging someone like me face to face isn't the brightest of ideas."

"There's no need for threats," the man said in mock horror. "I'm just here to get what I want." He moved closer towards Kakashi and while his form was more defined, he still couldn't make out his face. _Doesn't matter though, it'll all be over in a few seconds._

Just as Kakashi was about to charge, the man held up his wand and yelled, "_Epotus!_" Having never heard the spell before Kakashi figured it would be best to delay his attack for a little bit—just in case he walked into a trap.

Despite the many hours he had spent pouring over the library books this dimension was still largely unknown to Kakashi, so it was wise to not jump headfirst into things like he did in his own dimension. It would be pointless to die due to an error of judgment.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, and Kakashi could not sense anything near the mysterious man or himself, so he decided that it would be best to proceed.

As he stepped forward Kakashi felt an instant wave of nausea and dizziness overcome his senses and he fell to one knee, clutching his throbbing head. _Why . . . why is this happening?_ He thought wildly. _There was no chance for him to inject me with a type of poison, nor did I smell or see any type of gas in the air! How could this be?_

"It looks like my little serum worked!" His opponent was obviously pleased with himself but Kakashi was barely able to interpret what was said. It seemed like every sensing capability of his body was overcome and his vision and hearing were greatly distorted as well as sense of balance.

"What did you . . . how did you . . . " Kakashi slurred, trying to combat the effects but failed. He pushed himself up off the ground only to fall down again, this time being reduced to a crawling position.

"How did I do it?" the man asked as he grasped a handful of the jounin's hair. "When you smelt the ground over there you inhaled it. Quite colorless and odorless I assure you, and it only is activated by the spell I just cast on you." He grabbed Kakashi by the front of his jounin jacket and threw him against a tree.

"I'm quite pleased that it works on you, because while it worked on other humans, there was the chance that it would have no effect on a person from another dimension," he chuckled, "which is why I gave you an almost lethal dosage just to be on the safe side."

Kakashi struggled against the effects of the toxin but found it to be incredibly strong. He had been able to gather a small amount of strength before but all of it was blocked by the pain of slamming into the tree.

_Let's try again,_ he thought. Without warning Kakashi leapt towards the man, aiming for his heart with a kunai in hand, but stopped cold when he felt a knife in his side.

"I'm impressed by your dedication," the mysterious man sighed as he withdrew the blade and let Kakashi fall to the ground. "This toxin distorts all your senses, and while your attempted attack was impressive, you seemed to be aiming for a person off to my right," he chuckled. "You're no match for me in this state."

The Konoha jounin growled angrily and did his best to ignore the pain in his right side, doing his best to focus on the man beside him.

"The toxin should wear off soon, but I can assure you that I will be long gone by then." The man bent down and grabbed Kakashi's hair again, glanced him over, and then with a smile gave him a hearty punch to the face that sent him sprawling.

"Until later, Kakashi!" the man chuckled before disappearing, leaving Kakashi on the edge of consciousness, swearing as he did so.

* * *

"Wake up, kid!" Kakashi was brought back to reality by a harsh slap across the face.

"Alastor, I think that—"

"Nonsense! This is the best way to do it." He was slapped again but this time Kakashi reached out and grasped the hand so tightly as to invoke a sharp gasp from the man who hit him.

"You can let go now!" Moody's gruff voice complained. "See—I told you it'd wake him up!"

Kakashi found himself lying on the ground with Dumbledore, Harry, Professor Moody, Hagrid, Krum and Karkaroff all huddled around him.

"What—"

"You hadn't come back for a while so I sent Alastor after you," Dumbledore explained. "He had heard from Severus that Mr. Crouch was on the grounds and came to see if he could be of any assistance."

"And then I found you knocked out and bleeding on the ground!" Moody wheezed. "Who did this to you?"

"I'm not sure," Kakashi said slowly, rubbing his head. The effects of the toxin were definitely wearing off but it still left him feeling lightheaded.

"Vos it Mr. Crouch?" Krum asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, but it was the man who took him apparently." He glanced up and met Dumbledore's eyes. "And it's the same man who put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire."

The Headmaster stared at Kakashi in concern. "It is? Are you sure?" At Kakashi's nod he grew worried. "This makes things all the more dangerous. Hagrid, Karkaroff, and Alastor—I need you to accompany me on a brief search of the grounds. It's possible that the assailant has left, but we need to make sure." When all three men nodded (Karkaroff a little less enthusiastic) he then turned to the two young wizards.

"I'm afraid it might be too dangerous for you two," he said, then glanced at Kakashi. "Could you escort Mr. Hatake to the hospital wing on your way back?"

"I don't need an escort," Kakashi scoffed as he pushed himself into a standing position and started to walk forward, yet gasped in pain and almost fell over if it weren't for Krum and Harry stopping his fall.

"Fine," he grudgingly admitted, allowing the two to help him walk.

"So what happened?" Harry asked as they made their way back to the castle, his voice laced with concern. The young wizard had seen the way he fought with his students—how could he have been so injured?

Kakashi sighed, feeling embarrassed and furious at the same time. "He was able to intoxicate me with something that distorted all my senses and left me vulnerable to his attacks," he said angrily, wincing at the pain that walking up the steps caused him. Truth be told, his wound wasn't that severe—but at the moment his body was working on ridding itself of the toxin.

"Are you sure it vos not Mr. Crouch you attacked you?" Krum asked.

"Quite," Kakashi said. "It stands to reason that this man was also the one who stunned you, since it's obvious Mr. Crouch was running from him and you were in the way. Be grateful he didn't kill you."

Krum became silent as the realization at how close he was to death and the walk to the infirmary was just as quiet.

Harry was amazed at everything that was happening. Who was this person who was after him? Whoever it was had Mr. Crouch under their control, and he guessed that whatever he was doing in Snape's office had something to do with whatever the mysterious man had planned.

And now Kakashi had been injured because of him! Harry was fed up with people getting hurt because of him, especially those who he felt close to. He wished that he could just be left alone so no one else would be hurt. It was only a matter of time until Hermione and Ron were severely injured and if they died—he didn't know what he'd do with himself.

As they made their way to the infirmary, Kakashi was busy berating himself, resolving to never again be made such a fool of. First, he had left his charge in trouble, then he was bested by a mere wizard and was unable to capture the one who was endangering his charge's life.

How could he let this happen? He was the Copy Ninja, Sharingan Kakashi, one of the strongest shinobi of Konoha, former ANBU and a common entry into the Bingo Book of every shinobi village. If they knew about what just happened he would be made a laughingstock. At that moment Kakashi vowed to never let that happen again. He was going to train much more and do his best to improve his speed, strength, and knowledge of the wizard world.

* * *

"_And what are the results of your experiment?" a voice rasped._

"_Very good, my Lord," Barty Crouch Junior chuckled as he knelt before his Master. "The serum definitely works on the foreigners."_

"_Good, good—you have done well," Voldemort said gleefully. "The plan is coming along nicely. How is the rest coming?"_

"_All is going according to plan, my Lord," Barty said humbly. "Everything will be ready in time."_

"_Be sure that it does," the Dark Lord warned. "Everything must be ready so that I may get rid of Harry Potter once and for all because then, and only then, will there be no one left to oppose me."_

"_I eagerly await that day."_

"_I truly believe you mean that," Voldemort said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "When this succeeds you shall gain your place by my side."_

"_You are most gracious, my Lord," Barty said happily._

"_Wormtail!"_

"_Y-y-yes . . . m-my Lord?" a timid voice answered, cautiously emerging behind the door that led into the room._

"_See to it that my most faithful servant makes it back to Hogwarts," Voldemort spat. "And I would ask you to pay attention to what he does—you might learn something."_

"_I-I agree," Wormtail squeaked. He walked over to the pair and nervously handed him a small object. "H-here's your portkey."_

"_You sure this will bring me back to my office?" he scoffed while turning the small pen in his hand._

"_P-p—positive."_

"_Good." Barty reached into a pocket and Wormtail involuntarily flinched, but instead of a wand he withdrew a small flask._

"_After a time the taste isn't too bad," he said lightly before drinking it all in one gulp. Wormtail watched in fascination as the man before him transformed into Mad-Eye Moody._

"_Well then," Moody's voice said happily as he pushed the unnatural eye into place, "I guess it's time for me to be going."_

_A few seconds later "Moody" disappeared, leaving behind a very satisfied Lord Voldemort and a worried Peter Pettigrew._

* * *

"How's your preparation coming along?" Naruto asked as he sat down next to Harry. He was currently studying various spell books Hermione and Ron had found for him and he felt like his head was going to explode.

"It's going fine," he sighed.

"Would you like a break?" Naruto suggested happily.

As Harry opened his mouth to say yes, Hermione cut him off. "If he wants to be ready for the Third Task then he won't have time to goof around!"

"He deserves a break _sometime_ Hermione!" Ron defended. "At the rate you keep him going at he'll explode before the task even starts!"

"And besides," Naruto chuckled mischievously. "I'm just suggesting a break from what _you're doing_—not from preparing for the task."

The three wizards frowned at the shinobi in confusion.

"So . . . you have other ideas on how to prepare him?" Hermione asked slowly.

"Yep!" Naruto said happily.

"Would you like us to work on your stamina and taijutsu?" Gaara asked, stepping forward. "We don't know exactly what you'll be going through in the maze, but if you let us, we can make you physically stronger and you'll be better prepared to deal with anything that comes your way."

"Sure!" Harry agreed after a moment of reflection. Anything would help.

"And we'll do it too," Hermione said resolutely. "This way it won't seem like you're helping him out specifically."

"Plus—it wouldn't hurt to get more in shape," Ron said as he stretched out his arms. "How bad could it be?"

The wizards' enthusiasm faltered slightly at the dangerous smile on Naruto's face and the dangerous glint in Gaara's eyes.

* * *

Harry collapsed on the ground with Ron right behind him while Hermione leaned against a nearby tree for support.

They had only been training with the shinobi for a mere hour, and already they felt like they were going to die. Naruto and Gaara were tough teachers and they drove them hard. They started off with a five minute warm-up, then continued with 30 laps around the lake, 100 push-ups, 20 pull-ups using a tree branch, and finally 30 more laps around the lake. Naruto and Gaara did it alongside them, and so far they hadn't broken a sweat!

"How can . . . anyone—be this . . . fit?!" Ron gasped, clutching his heart. "I feel . . . like my . . . heart is going—to burst . . . out of . . . my chest!"

"My legs will . . . fall off if I—try to run . . . another lap," Harry wheezed. Hermione said nothing as she slid down the side of the tree, clutching her side as she panted heavily.

"Here's some water," Gaara said in concern as he handed the water bottles out.

"We still have taijutsu to do!" Naruto exclaimed. "Break ends in five minutes!"

The three wizards groaned and Hermione called out weakly, "I don't know if I can stand up."

Naruto paused for a moment and just as he was about to open his mouth Kakashi appeared. He took a moment to observe what was happening, then rounded on Naruto. "What happened?" he demanded.

"We're training them!" Naruto proclaimed proudly.

"But look at them!" Kakashi protested. "They can barely move!"

"Once they have their break they'll be fine."

"No Naruto—you need to understand," Kakashi sighed. "They don't have the same stamina and strength as you do—they're as fit as civilians!"

Naruto frowned and then glanced at the wincing wizards, then bowed slightly.

"I'm so sorry!" he said quickly. "I had no idea you were so weak!"

Harry and Ron narrowed their eyes but discovered they were too exhausted to care about the insult at the moment.

"Here, take a shinobi pill," Kakashi said softly, handing one to each of them. "It will give you enough energy to move, and I suggest you go up to the castle and take a nice bath to rest your muscles."

Harry swallowed the pill and felt an almost immediate burst of energy that let him jump to his feet while Ron and Hermione followed suit.

"Blimey—I feel cured!" Ron exclaimed while stretching his legs.

"This is only temporary," Kakashi warned. "I don't know how long it will last on you three, so you should go to the infirmary and get the necessary medicine that you need."

All three wizards nodded then turned to their "teachers" before bowing slightly.

"By the time the Third Task comes around we'll be able to keep up with you!" Harry declared.

* * *

Moody carefully pushed open the door to the infirmary, checking to see if there was anyone awake. Pleased, he started to make his way over to the office, doing his best not to make too much noise as he limped.

_If only I didn't have to use this blasted leg!_ He complained inwardly. He was able to get used to the eye quickly enough and it was actually quite helpful at times, but the leg he could live without.

_Soon it will all be over,_ he consoled himself.

Pausing for a brief moment to place a Sneakoscope at the entrance, Moody let himself in and made his way over to the filing cabinet.

_Now where would she put them?_ After ten minutes of fruitless searching Moody grew impatient and pulled out his wand.

"_Accio_ Kakashi, Naruto, and Gaara's medical records!" he whispered. Suddenly three small files came whizzing towards him from his right and Moody caught them expertly. He spent a minute or two examining them each in turn before pulling out three pieces of parchment and used a quick spell to copy the information.

With his mission complete, Moody carefully put the originals back to their appropriate places, taking care to make it appear as if he'd never been there at all. After picking up his Sneakoscope he glanced once more around at the silent infirmary before leaving with a devious grin on his face.

* * *

The rest of that week was—to put it mildly—_difficult_ for the wizard trio. Although Naruto and Gaara went easier on them in their training, their bodies still had to cope with the adjustment. Harry and Ron frequented the prefect's bathroom every night and in order to get back up to the castle (or survive the rest of the day) Kakashi had to give them each a soldier pill.

It wasn't until the end of the week that they no longer required the aid of a soldier pill, and the three wizards discovered that they had more energy than they normally did.

"So is this how you feel all the time?" Ron asked as he curled the weights the shinobi had nicked from the weight room.

"You treat your body well, and you are rewarded," Kakashi sighed as he worked on his push-ups. At the moment there were four Narutos sitting on his back, and none of them looked happy. The genin had made a bet with his sensei that he wouldn't be able to do a push-up with four of him on his back, and Kakashi had taken him up on that. After he had completed his quota of 100 push-ups the four Narutos got off angrily.

"So it seems I win," Kakashi smirked as he pushed himself into a standing position.

"But I don't want to!" the original Naruto complained as the three bunshin disappeared.

"You should have thought of that before. If you'll excuse me I have to go help Hagrid," Kakashi said before disappearing.

"What does he have to do?" Hermione whispered to Ron. The redhead glanced at the pouting shinobi before replying, "He has to eat a plateful of vegetables."

* * *

"You've almost got it!"

"This was such a wicked idea."

Ron frowned as he entered the Gryffindor common room, and saw that his brothers and Gaara were huddled around Naruto. "What are you doing? If it's another prank for Malfoy or Snape count me in!" he said, getting closer.

All four of them spun around with a surprised look on their face but once they saw it was Ron the twins and Naruto grinned.

"Well, it's not exactly a prank," Fred began.

"It's more of a—"

"New jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed proudly.

"Really? What is it?" Ron was curious as to how to create a jutsu.

Naruto grinned. "I got the idea from when we were helping Harry with the Second Task. It's not completed yet, but I'm practicing on this," he said as he held up a small teddy bear. At Ron's confused expression Naruto smirked and placed the bear down. "_Nijiiro no jutsu!_"

For a moment nothing happened, but then to Ron's amazement the fur on the bear started to change slowly from a tawny brown to a neon pink, and then various other colors.

"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed. "But I don't understand how it's incomplete—" His question was answered when the bear turned back into its original color.

"It only lasts for a few seconds," Gaara sighed.

"I'll get it eventually!" Naruto declared. "I promise!"

"Who're you going to try it out on once it's done?" Ron asked.

"I've got a pretty good idea," Naruto answered slyly. "I've just got to get it ready in time." He glanced back at the bear and frowned. "Maybe I should add another hand sign . . . " The four boys waited patiently as Naruto pondered over the jutsu.

"I've got it!" he said happily. "_Nijiiro no jut_—"

"Naruto!"

"—_su!_" Naruto finished, accidentally turning towards the source of the name before he completed the incantation. Everyone froze in fear for a moment, but it was immediately interrupted by Naruto's laughter.

"What's so funny?" Kakashi asked. Instead of answering the three wizards and all those around broke into laughter, confusing the jounin even more.

"Your hair," Gaara answered, his mouth twitching into a small smile. As the truth dawned on Kakashi his eye widened in shock and he ran to the nearest mirror.

Horrified, he ran a trembling hand through his (now) neon pink hair.

"Now—now . . . you look like Sakura-chan!" Naruto chuckled, struggling for air. The jounin resisted the urge to chuck a kunai at his student as he struggled to keep his emotions under control.

"Fix. It. _Now!_" he demanded.

"I don't know how!" Naruto laughed.

Kakashi growled but figured it would wear off eventually. "What were you trying to do anyway?" he sighed.

"A new jutsu!" the genin said.

"You mean—" Kakashi sighed. "Of all the jutsus you could have created, you just _had_ to make one like this."

"It's very strange," George observed as he and his twin encircled the jounin.

"What's strange?"

"Naruto was making it so the hair turned different colors, but yours is staying pink," Fred explained.

"Naruto? Explain!" Kakashi demanded.

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment. "I added a bear sign to make it longer, but I guess I just made the first color stay there longer."

"Now it's green!" Ron pointed out. Kakashi turned back to the mirror and watched as his hair changed to a lime green color, starting at the roots and work its way towards the top. Soon his hair was purple, orange, red, and then finally blue. Each time the transformation went faster and the color didn't last as long, he noted gratefully.

"Be more careful next time, Naruto," his sensei sighed.

The genin folded his arms indignantly. "Well, _you_ interrupted me! What was it you wanted to ask me anyway?"

"I just wondered what you were doing," the jounin shrugged.

* * *

Around midday Kakashi and Naruto were in Professor Trelawney's class, listening to her drone on and on about some planet called Mars. This was the one class Kakashi had not attended yet, and he had been avoiding it as much as he could. He had heard about how unbearable the smells were from Naruto and Gaara, but he was admittedly curious about the class. What about it had made Gaara walk out on the first day?

The jounin had smelt the perfume before they even entered the classroom, and decided that the two genin were not kidding when they said it was unbearable. The intensity of the smells made his head spin and to make matters worse, the room was quite humid and stuffy. Once everyone settled in Kakashi stood near the three boys, and then as an afterthought opened a nearby window. The soft breeze was an immediate relief and it also didn't smell as bad. The boys glanced at Kakashi gratefully before turning their attention back to Trelawney.

Kakashi thought she was a very eccentric character, and that was saying something considering who his "arch rival" was. He smiled softly as he thought back on his friend and wondered what his reaction would be if he ever came to this dimension. His musings were cut short by a loud scream.

Harry had fallen out of his chair and was rolling on the floor, yelling out in pain while clutching his scar. Everyone turned and stared at him fearfully while Ron and Naruto rushed to his side, unsure of what to do.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked in concern.

All the color was drained from Ron's face and he tried to calm his friend down.

"Has this happened before?" Kakashi whispered. He could tell that Ron knew something about this. Did he hear something about how he got the scar from that Dark Lord?

"I-It . . . not like this," Ron whispered back. "It's hurt him before, and usually it has something to do with You-Know-Who. It's never hurt him so much before."

Kakashi grabbed Harry's shoulders and shook him. "Harry? Harry! _Harry!_" That did it. The young wizard's eye shot open and he was breathing heavily with watery eyes and he seemed dazed.

"You all right?" Ron asked.

"Of course he isn't!" Professor Trelawney said, looking strangely excited. "What was it, Potter? A premonition? An apparition? What did you see?"

"Nothing." Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the obvious lie and help the boy stand up. He noticed that he glanced all over the place, as if expecting somewhat to be there and wondered what could have made him so paranoid.

"You were clutching your scar!" Trelawney persisted. "You were rolling on the floor, clutching your scar! Come now, Potter, I have experience in these matters!"

"Really?" Kakashi asked, sarcasm laced in his tone.

Trelawney frowned and glared at him. "Really! And I personally don't like you talking like that to—"

"May I go to the hospital wing?" Harry cut in.

"Absolutely not! You need to—"

"What I need is some medicine for a headache," Harry insisted before grabbing his things and leaving. With the exception of Professor Trelawney, everyone watched Harry leave with slight trepidation, and Kakashi decided it would be prudent to follow his charge.

"I don't think that's the way to the infirmary," Kakashi said as he followed Harry.

"I need to see Dumbledore," Harry protested.

"Why? What happened?"

"I just need to talk to him!" Harry said angrily. He really wished Kakashi would leave him alone just for once!

The jounin sighed. "Fine. It seems like Dumbledore will know more than we do."

A few minutes later they were standing in front of the Headmaster's door, with Kakashi chuckling at Harry.

"You shouldn't have kicked it you know," he teased.

"Stupid gargoyle wouldn't let me in," Harry muttered.

They turned their attention to the discussion going on inside Dumbledore's office. They were being quite loud, so much that even Harry could tell what they were talking about, and it seemed like the Headmaster and Mad-Eye Moody were discussing the disappearance of Mr. Crouch and a Bertha Jones to someone named Cornelius.

" . . . it's just that Potter and Kakashi want a word with you. They're just outside your door."

* * *

"So this is a phoenix?" Kakashi asked in amazement, gazing at the magnificent bird fondly.

"Yeah, his name is Fawkes," Harry said offhandedly, glancing at the portraits that were all snoring.

"Such a beautiful creature," Kakashi said as he stroked his feathers slowly. He was finding all the animals in the wizard world to be vastly more interesting than his own. The creature leaned into Kakashi's touch and sang a few lines of what Kakashi supposed to be a song. Strangely enough the sound seemed to boost Kakashi's spirits and he felt strangely at peace.

"So what exactly happened in there?" Kakashi wondered aloud. "Ron said something about—" He stopped talking when he noticed Harry was gone. "Harry? Harry where are you?" The jounin frowned, because his senses were telling him that Harry was over by a small basin, yet he couldn't see or smell him. "Is this some type of new Invisibility Cloak?" he asked, stepping closer. He hardly doubted there was anything dangerous in Dumbledore's office—at least, that he would leave lying around.

Once he reached the bowl, Kakashi noticed that there seems to be images floating around in it, and once he glanced at it further he saw that there was some sort of gathering and once he saw Harry in it he grew worried. Should he try and rescue Harry by himself?

Seeing as how Harry most likely got trapped by touching the stuff, Kakashi knew he wouldn't be much help if he got stuck too, so that meant he would have to find Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore!" he called, suddenly appearing besides him on the school grounds.

"Merlin's beard!" Cornelius gasped, clutching his heart. "H-how did you—"

"What is it, Kakashi?" Dumbledore asked in concern. Kakashi leaned in and whispered it to him. "I see. Well, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me I have some business to attend to."

"So what happened, Headmaster?" the jounin asked as they entered the office.

"This is a Pensieve," he answered. "It allows me to keep my thoughts and memories in one place so I can revisit them in case they carry something important. Seems like young Harry was quite the curious lad," he chuckled. He then reached into the basin and after a brief blinding flash Harry was sprawled out on the floor, looking quite embarrassed.

"Now then, if you'll please excuse us, Kakashi, it seems like young Harry has something he would like to tell me." Kakashi bowed at the quiet dismissal and left the room, wishing that he had a Pensieve himself, though he wouldn't necessarily use it to "revisit" his past.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! There was a request to see what Voldemort is doing, so I decided it was high time to include his plans and there has been a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter—so believe me when I say that everything happened for a reason! **

**I have no idea when the next chapter will come out. For the next few weeks I will be working on an original novel of mine so some of it can be prepared for this Writer's Workshop I'm attending at the end of March. The next update will probably be the end of April, once I'm out for the college semester because I have got to study my brains out for finals. Have a nice day!**

**Also, be warned that things are going to pick up in the next chapter! Voldemort's plan is set into action!!**

* * *


	19. The Third Task

**Hello! I really want to apologize for taking such a freakin' long time to update, but life has been really crappy for me lately and inspiration for this story has been hard to come by (though I luv this story more than anything!!) and I want to put my best work out there for you guys because I truly appreciate you all so much.**

**Anyway, before I want to thank those who reviewed, I want to let you all know something—THERE IS GOING TO BE A NEW NARUTO MOVIE IN AUGUST ENTITLED "NARUTO SHIPPUDEN 3: INHERITORS OF THE WILL OF FIRE" AND IT WILL BE CENTERED ON KAKASHI! ****Please go to my profile to learn more information. **

**Reviewers? Gotta luv ya! **SutaakiHitori, KatonRyuuka, Lupanari, MichaelTheUchiha, Madeline Cullen, hokage of dragon, Megaolix, Sonia120462, SongoftheDarquePhoenix, Magestig20, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, darthgamer, Jumpingbeans480, Moonfayth, MadnessLover, Kakashifangirlnumber1000, Shai Neko, romantiscue, Fox Loves Shinigami, Harrharr, LazyNerd, moonray9, cardcaptor eternity, AvatardsUnite MM, dragoncrazy247, kyuubilord, the true elec, DarkRavie (2), candyman123, X59, Orihime-San, lambastic, evil-step-sister, kimcat, kitcat, hugglestheknowitall, geetac, Belrevan, Namikazelil, Sakamoto Michiko, Kurotakai, stars among dust (9), KakashiKrazed, atem4ever (11), dark0anglez, pamellka, landmonster (2), sarahSADISTIC, sugarcrazedninja, das boot, nice, 6tailedninja, SumireMayonaka (18!), Lord Perle, PedroCullenBloomTM, bored wonder, Little Kunai (14!), **and** DarcSlayer!

**Oh, and **SumireMayonaka** was the 900****th**** reviewer! Hurray! She also went through and reviewed all 18 chapters, so she gets two requests! Her first request was to see how Gaara changed from the chuunin exams, and for her second one she's still thinking. Here's a cookie to tide you over! Thanks!**

**And as always, here is a great big thanks and some homemade cookies to my beta **cardcaptor eternity**! **

**Like I said before, this is when things with Voldemort start building up so please enjoy! **

* * *

**QUICK NOTE: Before I forget, I know a lot of you were displeased with my portrayal of Philosophical!Kyuubi in chapter 11 when Harry gets thrust into Naruto's consciousness and meets Kyuubi and I have fixed it! I didn't like it too much myself, and I've spent a lot of time thinking on how to fix it and I've finally come up with the answer—DELETE IT ALL!! Yes, I just went and deleted the whole 700 word exchange because it just didn't fit. I was, however, still able to keep the little foreshadow/spoiler effect I wanted so I connected the storylines with this phrase: **

**"**There was silence after that, with Harry not really knowing how to continue. He couldn't imagine how horrible it would be to have something so evil inside of you, something you never wanted in the first place and were afraid of having it consume you. He was just glad it wasn't him."

* * *

**Also (sorry for the massive amount of notes, but a two month update can do that to you)** iAlly **has done it again with her amazing art and has created a FLASH for the previous chapter with Kakashi and his super amazing colored hair—courtesy of our favorite little genin.**

http: //ially. deviantart. com/art/ Rainbow-Hair- 116203154

**(If for some reason this doesn't work for you I have the link in my profile!)**

* * *

"My head feels like it's going to explode!" Ron cried, burying his face into his hands.

"Oh, grow up," Hermione sighed. "This can't be worse than schoolwork." The three of them were currently studying in the Gryffindor common room while the rest of the school was outside enjoying the sunshine. "For you at least," she added in an undertone.

"You're right!" Ron's demeanor brightened slightly.

"Besides, you're not the one who has to remember all this stuff," Harry grumbled. As much as he enjoyed learning more spells, the stress was starting to get to him. Right now he was tied with Cedric so this task would be the difference between losing and winning. Despite his earlier reluctance to entering the tournament, now that he was involved no matter what Harry couldn't help but imagine the taste of victory.

"Break?" Ron suggested hopefully.

"_Honestly_," Hermione chided. "How do you ever get anything done, Ronald?"

"Magic," he said smugly. Hermione rolled her eyes while Harry chuckled.

"Working hard?" The three wizards turned towards the source of the noise and were surprised to see Kakashi standing there, a stack of books in hand.

"What are those for?" Ron asked.

"Oh these? I thought I'd teach Naruto and Gaara some more about the magical world—things they haven't been taught already in their classes." Kakashi shifted his grip on the pile of books and the one on top fell to the ground. "Oops."

Harry bent down to pick up the book for Kakashi and was drawn to the title, _Hexes Your Mother Wouldn't Want You To Know_.

"Kakashi . . . is this from the Restricted Section?" Harry asked tentatively. Its current dilapidated condition reminded him of all the other books he had seen there.

"That? Yes—since I'm not a student I don't need permission to check out books, much to Madame Pince's dismay," he chuckled. Harry tried to return the book to Kakashi but the jounin shook his head.

"I've already got too many books—maybe you can find something useful in it?" Kakashi said offhandedly. He smirked at Harry's shocked expression and continued on his way towards the boy's dormitory.

"I hope he doesn't get in trouble for that," Hermione said.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Oh _please_, Hermione! No one else will know." He stared at the book with a hungry gaze. "Let's see what it says!"

* * *

It was all too soon for the morning of the Third Task. Harry woke up with an odd combination of dread and excitement, leaving him slightly dazed. His fears were slightly abated at the good luck note he received from Sirius—a muddy paw print.

"You get that from Snuffles?" Naruto asked. He peered over Harry's shoulder.

"Huh? Yeah," Harry said, a small smile forming on his face.

Naruto grinned and opened his mouth to say something but whatever he had to say was drowned out by Hermione's outburst. She had just picked up the _Daily Prophet_ and spat out her pumpkin juice all over the cover.

"What?"

"Huh? Oh—nothing!" Hermione said quickly, shoving the paper out of sight. Naruto snatched it out of her grasp easily and he and Ron stared at the headline.

"No way. Not today. That old _cow_." Ron looked disgusted at the paper.

"What?" said Harry. He was getting irritated at being in the dark. "Rita Skeeter again?"

"No," Naruto said before putting it out of sight just like Hermione. Before Harry could demand to see the paper Malfoy shouted across the Great Hall.

"Hey, Potter! _Potter!_ How's your head? You feeling all right? Sure you're not going to go berserk on us?" Harry frowned, unsure of what Malfoy could possibly mean but once he noticed the copy of the _Daily Prophet _in his hand he could make a pretty good guess.

"Give it to me," Harry demanded. Ron, Hermione, and Naruto exchanged nervous glances before Naruto reluctantly passed over the newsprint.

Naruto watched Harry's alternating emotions with sadness. He had only been able to read "Harry Potter" and "Dangerous" in the headline, but he was able to get the gist of what it was saying. From what he had heard, the wizard was quite used to that sort of thing, but on the day of the Third Task Harry needed all the confidence and courage he could muster. The article was sure not to help.

"Gone off me a bit, hasn't she?" said Harry dryly as he folded up the paper.

As the three wizards discussed Rita Skeeter, Naruto focused on his breakfast (ramen and toast) and thought about the upcoming task. Kakashi had informed them earlier about what type of creatures they should expect in the maze, and they had spent the better half of last night making sure the creatures were properly situated. There were a lot of fascinating creatures.

Kakashi had brought an armload of books from the library earlier that week that were full of information about the types of animals that they would be dealing with. The jounin had been assured that the handling would be simple and nothing to worry about, but he had wanted to take precautions. He had told them that, whenever they could, a shinobi should be as prepared as possible.

The most helpful book had been _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, though the other books he brought from the Restricted Section provided more detailed descriptions about the more dangerous ones, like the Blast-Ended Skrewt and Griffin. It had certainly been an interesting night.

* * *

When the wizards from the Magical Creature Department arrived near the maze, there were three shinobi waiting for them.

"Are you the help that Dumbledore sent?" A large, burly man with a neatly trimmed black beard stepped forward to meet the shinobi. Judging by his physique and numerous scars that littered his body the shinobi could tell that he had been in the magical creature business for a number of years.

Kakashi nodded. "He apologizes for not being able to be here at this time but his attention has been drawn elsewhere at the moment. I have a detailed map of where each creature is supposed to stay though." He waved it around for emphasis.

The leader grunted. He and the rest of his men then glanced at Naruto and Gaara with skeptical expressions.

"Oh you don't need to worry about them," Kakashi chuckled. "I assure you they won't cause any trouble." Naruto glanced up and scowled at his sensei who simply smiled in return. Gaara sighed and folded his arms. He hated it when people underestimated the both of them.

The leader and his men glanced at each other for a second and then shrugged. "Bring 'em out."

Naruto gasped while Gaara's eyes widened at the sight of all the creatures, despite their previous knowledge of them. There were fire crabs, a sphinx, doxy, pixies, enormous Blast-Ended Skrewts, large spiders that looked like the ones they battled in the forest, an Erumpent, a Graphorn, Kneazle, and Griffin. Even Kakashi found himself staring in awe at the strange yet glorious creatures. The leader watched them in amusement.

"Beauts, aren't they?" The man was pleased as the three nodded in agreement. As far as he was concerned, they passed his test. Most people would have taken one look and ran, but these guys—even the kids—stood their ground and actually seemed to be enjoying themselves. That—or they were just plain stupid.

"Now, each animal has their own set of special precautions we need to take," the leader began. "For instance, the ones that can fly will need a magical barrier erected around them that will prevent them from escaping, yet it needs to be nearly invisible and allow easy passage of humans. For some, they need . . . "

Naruto was simply beside himself with all the wonderful and exciting creatures. If only his world had animals like these! He knew that if the wizards knew of their enormous, mountain-sized summons that could talk they would probably say the same thing, but no matter. The blonde was assigned to help with the Erumpent. It reminded him of a rhino. From his readings, it came from a place called Africa, and the horn on its head could pierce through almost anything while it released a deadly fluid. Despite this the animal was actually quite tame, yet a warning was given not to provoke it, or the consequences would be deadly.

Naruto reached out tentatively and stroked the animal's hide. It was gray and the skin was very rough, seeing as how it could repel curses. To his surprise, the creature leaned in closer to him as if it wanted him to pet it more. One of the men noticed Naruto's astonished reaction and chuckled.

"This one's name is Alfred, and you're lucky he ain't a girl."

"Why?"

The tall man leaned in closely, "Because it's the females you want to look out for. They're the nastiest of the bunch and wouldn't let you touch them. Seem like any women you know?" he chuckled, lightly elbowing Naruto in the ribs. The genin thought back to Sakura and Tsunade and found he had to agree.

At that moment Gaara was escorting a pack of fire crabs. There were six in all and Gaara pitied whoever came upon them. Since the fire was emitted from the rear, they didn't really have any blind spots. The only exception was from above or below, yet Gaara had a feeling none of the wizards would be able to jump that high or be able to use a simple earth jutsu. What fascinated him were their jeweled shells, and the employee with him was explaining the origins of their unique backside. His name was Justin and he was more of a boy than a man. Gaara guessed his age to be just under Kakashi's, and he appeared to have Naruto's enthusiasm. It suited Gaara just fine though—seeing as how he'd rather listen than talk anyway.

Suddenly the ground shook and the two glanced towards the source to meet a terrifying sight. Somehow, the Graphorn was going crazy and it was all everyone could do to prevent the other animals from escaping as well. The European creature charged through, his two, sharp horns in front of him like a bull and his purple, humped back making him seem all the more crazed. Those who could spare a few moments from trying to contain their own creatures tried desperately to subdue him, but their spells bounced right back off, due to the fact that it had a hide tougher than a dragon.

Gaara got into a ready stance to meet the creature head on and he spread out his hands while commanding his sand to come forth to his aid. Suddenly he was thrust to the side.

"Stay out of this kid!" Justin yelled. "Make sure those crabs don't set the place on fire and leave this to me!"

The Suna shinobi highly doubted that he would have much trouble with the beast, but seeing as how Justin was an expert, Gaara figured it might be best to listen to him. His sand quickly encircled the fire crabs and Gaara made sure that the other workers (who were currently staring at him with comical, stunned expressions) weren't in the way, the Jinchuuriki trapped the fire crabs in a protective dome. Even if they tried to blast their way out it would take them a while.

A loud scream and sickening sound of bones cracking interrupted his thoughts and Gaara spun around. Justin was lying on the ground, some blood already pooling underneath him from a large gash across his stomach and Gaara could tell there were a few ribs broken. The Graphorn looked to be preparing for another attack, and Gaara knew Justin wouldn't survive it. Without thinking, he leapt in front of Justin protectively and brought up a sand shield just before the creature struck.

As Gaara's heels dug into the earth while he struggled with the brute strength of the animal five times his size, Gaara found himself slightly surprised at his actions. Less than a year ago, Gaara would have let the man die on account of his own foolishness and would have only tangled with the creature if it directly confronted him. Now, here he was putting himself into danger for a person he barely knew. Naruto must have had a greater effect on him than he thought.

Gaara grunted from exertion as his shield broke from the pressure but before the animal could come more than a few feet closer, the genin reformed the sand to shackle the Graphorn's limbs. If only he had stronger minerals in his sand his shield would have held. As the Graphorn struggled with its new chains and Gaara struggled to keep them from breaking, the redhead noted with relief that Kakashi and Naruto were able to jump onto the animal's back and stab it with some type of needle.

It took quite a few seconds for the desired effect, and the only reason Kakashi and Naruto were able to stay on the thrashing animal was because they practically glued themselves to it with chakra. Only when the Graphorn didn't move for a full minute did Gaara release his sand. His shoulders heaved with slight exhaustion as his sand went back into his specially made robe.

"Thank you for your help," the leader said. He wiped his brow in relief. "We've discovered a very unique potion and needle to be able to subdue them, but as you can tell, with the soft spots being on a very specific spot on its hump—the actual delivery is more a dream than practical idea."

After making sure the fire crabs were being handled by the other men, Gaara turned his attention towards Justin.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he knelt down beside him to inspect the injuries. Gaara always felt it was rather a ridiculous question to ask—of _course_ the person you just watched get skewered by the enemy nin's senbon needles was feeling like a pin cushion and was most likely going to pass out from the pain any second—but it just seemed the natural thing to say.

Justin let out a chuckle that resulted in a small coughing fit with blood trickling down his chin. "Better than it could have been," he joked dryly. He smiled at Gaara. "Thanks, kid." Gaara simply nodded as he wiped away some of the blood so the wounds on his chest would be more easily visible. "Sorry about your clothes though." Gaara blinked and glanced down to see what Justin was talking about, and noticed that they were stained with Justin's blood.

Gaara shrugged and said without thinking, "I've seen worse." And it was true—before the chuunin exam and when he found himself in somewhat of a frenzy, Gaara had gleefully been drenched in more blood than most could stomach.

The worker looked shocked for a moment, then winced as Kakashi tightly wrapped his chest with bandages. The jounin nodded at Gaara, signaling he would take over and the genin stepped back to be next to Naruto.

"Whatever you're teaching these kids," Justin remarked through clenched teeth, "it sure works. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you guys. Thanks." Naruto flashed a half-smile, obviously concerned for the man's well being while Gaara gave a tiny smile. Kakashi responded with a final tug on the bandages that nearly sent Justin into unconsciousness.

"You're welcome," the jounin smiled. "I must say I'm not going to envy the pain you'll feel when you wake up." After Justin's eyes rolled into the back of his head Kakashi gingerly picked him up and created a kage bunshin.

"Please take this man to Madame Pomfrey," he instructed before handing over the bandaged man. "_And_ _be careful!_" he added in what seemed to be a scolding tone. The clone just rolled his eyes, muttering about the original's eccentric behavior before disappearing.

Kakashi dusted off his hands and turned to the shocked men before him. "So—shall we continue?"

* * *

"Where did Hermione go?" Breakfast was almost over as Kakashi made his way over to the Gryffindor group.

"She ran off to the library, muttering like a nutter," Ron sighed. "I never know what gets into that girl. Anyway, it's time for us to get to Binns' class. See ya, Harry!" Ron gave a small wave as he, Naruto, and Gaara left the table. Naruto grumbled about stupid written exams as they walked.

"Did you know that I once passed a written exam without writing anything down at all?" he boasted.

"Only because the test wasn't really about the answers in the first place," Gaara pointed out. "And I highly doubt a ghost professor is going to be testing your ability to cheat."

Naruto paled. He never particularly enjoyed Binns' class in the first place, him being a ghost and all. The first day of class with the man resulted in a highly amusing chase down the hallway as Gaara tried to calm his friend down. The redhead had eventually been able to convince the blonde to sit in the very back of the class, near the door. Seeing as how the professor never really left the spot at the front of the classroom just beside his desk was probably the only reason Naruto was able to sit in the room without bolting.

"Besides," Ron pointed out, "you don't even have to be a ninja to cheat in Binns' exams if you wanted to. The old man probably wouldn't even notice. There are times that I think he's just a moving picture that teaches like a broken record." Both shinobi stared at him in confusion and Ron slapped his forehead upon realizing he set himself up for a long explanation about what a "broken record" meant.

Kakashi chuckled at the three boys who were disappearing from sight. "Must be nice not having to take any exams," he said cheerfully.

"I'm not complaining," Harry smirked.

"So do you want to spar or read some more of your books?" Harry stared at Kakashi in excitement. He had only sparred with the jounin once before and while it was obvious he was centuries beyond the man, it was still a thrilling experience.

"Really? Then—"

"Potter!" The two watched as McGonagall made her way over to them. "The champions are congregating in the chamber of the Great Hall after breakfast," she said.

"But the task's not 'til tonight!" Harry exclaimed. There was no _way_ he could have missed something as important at _that!_ Kakashi seemed just as surprised.

"I'm aware of that, Potter," McGonagall sighed. Harry had trouble deciding if she were amused or irritated by his comment. Most likely both. "The champions' families are invited to watch the final task, you know. This is simply a chance for you to greet them." Then she left.

"Do you have any relatives that I didn't know about?" Kakashi asked, puzzled.

"No, I swear." Harry was equally confused. "There's no way the Dursleys are here. They'd rather walk into a cave of bloodthirsty animals than set foot in such a magical place."

"Then why—" The two were interrupted by Cedric's shout.

"Harry, come on, they're waiting for you!" Harry frowned and glanced at Kakashi who simply shrugged. Slightly curious but nonetheless puzzled, Harry decided to follow Cedric into the chamber with Kakashi right behind him. First he saw Cedric with his parents, then Krum with his father who looked just like him with his hooked nose, then Fleur and her sister with their mother. The two young girls waved to him and Harry waved back. Soon he found whom Cedric was referring to and grinned widely.

"Surprise!" Mrs. Weasley said excitedly as Harry made his way over to them. "Thought we'd come and watch you, Harry!" She bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

"You all right?" asked Bill, grinning as well. He shook Harry's hand and Harry briefly noted how large they were. "Charlie wanted to come, but he couldn't get time off. He said you were incredible against the Horntail."

Kakashi watched Harry interact with two people who were undoubtedly related to Ron and Ginny with a smile. He knew the boy had a strong friendship with the two Weasley kids and now it was evident he was a part of the family. _I'll just leave them be_, he thought. Now that he had some free time he might as well see how the creatures in the maze were doing and then go train some more.

After giving a tour around the castle, Harry, Bill, and Mrs. Weasley returned to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Mum—Bill!" Ron exclaimed, looking stunned as they joined the Gryffindor table. "What're you doing here?"

"Come to watch Harry in the last task!" said Mrs. Weasley brightly. "I must say, it makes a lovely change, not having to cook. And who are your friends?" Ron could tell his mother was struggling to sound cheery as she examined Naruto and Gaara, her pursed lips obviously disapproving of their choice of hairstyle.

Ron gulped, hoping things didn't turn out the way he thought they would. The Rita Skeeter article matter hadn't been exactly resolved—or discussed for that matter. "Uh . . . t-this is Naruto, and Gaara—and then that's Kakashi," he introduced as the man made his way over to them. Judging by the astonished and red-faced expression on his mother's face, Ron had a right to be worried.

"What are they doing here?!" she demanded as she yanked her son closer to her. "I thought they would have been banished from the school! Dumbledore sent me a letter saying everything was taken care of and all right—but I had always assumed it meant they were gone!"

Kakashi and Gaara were able to school their expressions into one of neutrality, but Naruto failed. His hands were clenched at his side and he stared at the ground. He knew Ron's mother was just being protective of her own son, but it still hurt.

"Lemme go!" Ron protested, struggling in his mother's grasp. When she finally released him, he walked over to the shinobi trio, putting himself in between them and his mother. The three shinobi watched in amazement as Hermione and Harry did the same, unable to mask their surprise.

"While most of what Rita Skeeter said was true, she was wrong about them being monsters," Ron said. "These guys are my friends and they've looked out for us and I don't want you treating them that way."

Bill appeared surprisingly proud of his younger brother while Mrs. Weasley just gaped at Ron, rendered speechless. Harry stepped forward, determined to help his friend and shift some of the anger onto him.

"Mrs. Weasley—we understand how you feel, but you do know how Rita is. Kakashi has agreed to protect me, and Naruto and Gaara have been helping Ron and Hermione prepare me for the tasks! Ron has made the decision that he can trust them, as well as Dumbledore. Don't you think that means they're deserving of another chance?"

Hermione and Ron smiled and the shinobi had to be impressed with Harry's logic. From what they had seen about people's opinions about Dumbledore it was obvious that he was as respected as a Hokage, and now it appeared his judgments carried as much weight.

"I . . . I-I must apologize," Mrs. Weasley stammered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I just—"

"It's all right, Mrs. Weasley," Kakashi cut in. "You were concerned for your son's safety which any good mother would." At this he bowed slightly while Naruto and Gaara followed suit. Mrs. Weasley blushed harder.

"Hey guys! Hey Ginny!" Bill called out, sensing a need to break the awkward situation. Fred, George, and Ginny glanced up in surprise at their brother's voice and quickly ran over, excited to see him and their mother.

"I see mum hasn't been able to chop your hair off yet," Fred teased, swatting Bill's hair playfully.

"Though I'm pretty sure she's tried," George chuckled as he clapped his older brother on the back.

"And uh—" Mrs. Weasley whispered to Harry. "There's nothing going on between you and uh—" Harry followed her gaze to rest on Hermione. She was shaking her head at something Ron was saying. From what he could tell it was about how he had created names for various trolls in his History of Magic exam.

"Absolutely nothing," Harry said firmly. This seemed to put Mrs. Weasley at ease.

"That is a beautiful shirt you have on Hermione!" The young girl looked to Mrs. Weasley in confusion, obviously recalling the small egg she received for Easter. Harry gave her a small nod and Hermione beamed back.

"Why—thank you, Mrs. Weasley!"

* * *

It was finally time for the evening feast. The staff table was more crowded than usual, and Kakashi found himself next to Ludo Bagman who liked to chat too much for the jounin's taste. Due to his mask, Kakashi was unable to eat leisurely and tried to tune out what the energetic man was saying to him. Kakashi found himself desperately waiting for the time that he could start going over to the maze.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Gaara were being harassed by Gryffindors who were curious as to what would exactly be in the maze.

"So what sort of creatures are in there?"

"Any really, really dangerous ones?"

"Idiot! This is the third and final task! Of _course_ there are dangerous creatures!"

Naruto smirked. He was enjoying the attention. "Sorry guys—that would be against my orders," he said dramatically. "But I can tell you this—" (he leaned in closer and the curious group of boys leaned in as well) "—you would wet your pants at the sight of them and run home to your mommies!" The younger and more gullible boys gasped in horror while the others snorted.

Harry picked at his food, not really in the mood to eat too much. The upcoming task weighed too heavily on his mind and he couldn't shake the feeling that it would be a lot tougher than he thought it would be, like most things were. Finally the time came for the end of the feast and the young wizard awaited Dumbledore's instructions with eagerness.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Would the champions please follow Mr. Bagman and the guards down to the stadium now."

"All right, come on, Harry!" Naruto grabbed Harry and pulled him away from the table. He made sure to give the wizard one of his biggest smiles, in the hope that it would help ease some of the worry on his face. The young genin had overheard Kakashi talk about how his enthusiasm was quite catchy and he figured he could put it to good use. While the creatures in the maze weren't entirely S-rank material, the boy needed his head on straight to survive some of them.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming, Naruto," Harry chuckled. Naruto smirked. _Success!_

"Now, remember to have a firm stance and keep your eye on the enemy at all times when fighting," Naruto instructed. He held up a finger for emphasis the way he had seen Iruka-sensei do on more than one occasion. "Always be on the lookout for the enemy and never let your guard down."

Harry sighed. "Of course, _sensei_," he teased. There was no way he could forget those key points, seeing as how Naruto and Gaara had practically beat that into him over their numerous training sessions—quite literally in fact. He had the bruises to prove it.

Naruto seemed to perk up at the title given to him and he walked a little taller. "Be sure that you do. I don't want to have to drag your sorry self out of the maze."

"You won't have to. I promise."

After what felt like centuries later, the small stadium was filled with energetic spectators while the tournament council and champions were huddled near the entrance to the maze.

"Naruto, Gaara, and myself will be patrolling the outside of the maze," Kakashi began. "If you get into trouble and want to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you. Do you understand? It will result in an immediate forfeit." All the champions nodded.

"Off you go then!" Bagman said brightly. Kakashi nodded and the three shinobi body-flickered away to the awe of some of the unsuspecting spectators who had been watching the small discussion.

The shinobi each took their respective positions on the maze hedge and stood patiently while events went underway. Soon the whistle pierced through the air and it was Harry and Cedric's turn to enter the maze. Naruto could hear some of the various animals rustling around in response to the whistle, but other than that they stayed put in their designated areas.

Just when Naruto felt like his hopes for some excitement were about to be dashed, there was a very loud scream, and it sound like it came from Fleur.

"Did you hear that?" Naruto talked into his mike in concern. Normally, electronic devices such as those wouldn't work at Hogwarts, but Kakashi had blended magic and a jutsu to allow them to work for a few hours, seeing as how it would be the most effective way for them to communicate.

"Naruto, I think that even those weak wizard ears in the stadiums could hear that," Kakashi said sarcastically, the quality of his voice somewhat dimmed due to magical interference.

"She doesn't seem to be moving," Gaara cut in. "Naruto—since you're the closest you should see how she's doing."

The blonde nodded, then realized it wouldn't be seen. "Right." He was near Fleur in seconds with his kunai poised against any attack. Sensing none, he crept closer to the girl and examined her. She seemed to be breathing normally, though there was a large bump on her head and a lot of cuts and bruises all over her arms and legs. She was quite close to the fire crab area, and something must have happened. He could sense faint traces of Krum's magic, though most likely it meant that he had passed through this area recently.

Naruto tried to shake the young girl but she barely stirred. He pulled back an eyelid and decided that she could be suffering from a concussion.

"How is she?" Kakashi asked.

The blonde genin glanced back towards the fire crabs who were inching closer and closer, steam issuing from their nostrils, and their jeweled shells glistening in the pale light. He bit his lip and sighed. "I think I need to pull her out."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Kakashi would have to deal with Madame Maxime if this were not a life or death situation.

"I'm positive. If I leave her here then the fire crabs will roast her alive. I think she has a concussion." Naruto could hear faint swearing on Kakashi's end and would have smirked if he didn't feel so bad for the girl. She had already been unable to finish the second race—what would this setback do to her? As Naruto scooped the older girl into his arms though, he figured her life meant more than her pride.

"I made sure a medic team will be standing by to meet you at the entrance."

Sure enough, the moment Naruto landed on the ground in front of the maze, Fleur was snatched out of his hands by a frantic Madame Pomfrey. She was muttering something about stupid tasks that marred perfectly healthy children for no reason. Fleur's family and headmaster were staying just out of the nurse's reach, worry clearly etched on their faces.

Knowing that Fleur was in good hands, Naruto disappeared to resume his post. Not long after, red sparks flew into the air near Kakashi.

"I got this one," he informed the genin. He found the boy lying on the ground unconscious. He sniffed the air and found Harry and Cedric's scents, both quite fresh. _So they must have sent up the sparks, but why?_ He could have sworn he heard the word _Crucio_ a few moments before the red sparks were shown, but that couldn't be right—could it? Did Krum really use an Unforgiveable Curse?

"Who is it?" Kakashi could hear the concern in Naruto's voice.

"It's Krum this time." The jounin could hear the gasps coming from both ends, and he had to admit he was surprised himself. Of all people to be eliminated—Krum just didn't seem to be one of them.

"He gave up?" Gaara asked.

"No, he is unconscious like Fleur yet I suspect he was stupefied." He lowered his voice. "I have a feeling that there is more to this than meets the eye. I think someone is interfering with this task, so I want both of you to start trailing Harry. I will bring Krum back and then make sure none of the animals have been magically altered in any way."

"Understood," the two genin said in unison. Both were uneasy as they body-flickered near Harry's position together.

"Do you really think someone's trying to kill Harry?" Naruto asked in concern. Gaara shrugged. Assassination attempts were quite old news to him.

"From what he's told us and what we've seen—it's quite possible."

"What do you think is going on down there?" Naruto asked. They could sense Harry and Cedric talking to one another.

"It's very strange," Gaara admitted. "Maybe—" He and Naruto spun around and held out some kunai defensively.

"Put those blasted things away," Moody said gruffly, coming into view. The shinobi visibly relaxed, though Gaara seemed more reluctant to do so.

"I thought _we_ were the only ones with authorization to be here," he said skeptically.

The scarred professor snorted. "Don't worry—orders from Dumbledore. Kakashi came back with Krum, saying that something didn't seem right. Since Kakashi wanted to check up on the animals, I've been sent to make sure you have everything you need and see if I could be of help. Dark Wizards are my specialty you know."

There was silence as Gaara pondered this explanation until he nodded. "So far nothing else has happened, and while we appreciate your offer, we don't need any help." Moody shrugged.

"Hell if I care. Oh, by the way . . . " He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew two small coins. "These are from Dumbledore—magical coins to allow you to talk back and forth with him since he doesn't have one of those mechanical things." The professor tossed them to the shinobi and they caught them before turning them over in their hands curiously, not noticing Moody glancing at his watch apprehensively.

"Well—I've got to go, seeing as how I'm not allowed to be here," he chuckled. "Carry on." The man left quite abruptly, leaving two bewildered genin.

"How are we supposed to use these?" Naruto asked in frustration. He examined it closely. "They don't look any different than normal coins!"

"There is definitely some strong magic here," Gaara muttered. "Though it doesn't help us figure out how to use them."

"I'll call Kakashi-sensei," Naruto decided. He pushed the appropriate button and waited for Kakashi's signal, but he was met with static. "Kakashi-sensei? Come in, Kakashi-sensei!" No response.

"Mine must be broken or something. Try yours." Gaara nodded and did the same, yet he got the same response.

"I don't think that both of our devices would stop working on their own," Gaara said. "And Kakashi's spell was supposed to work for hours and I doubt he made a mistake."

"Do you think something happened to him?"

"I think he'll be—" The shinobi glanced up and Naruto swore.

"Harry!" Naruto clenched his coin tightly. How could the boy have slipped through their fingers so easily? Without a word the two took off. "Where did he go? One moment he's there—and the next he's not!"

"Cedric is gone, too," Gaara said quietly. Within seconds they reached where the trophy was _supposed_ to be, but it was gone, along with the two that were standing next to it moments before.

"This is really bad," Naruto whimpered. "Whoever has been messing with this tournament finally has Harry!"

"We need to reach Kakashi," Gaara said quickly. "It's clear that whoever took Harry might have also interfered with our communication devices so we need to get to him as quickly as possible."

Just then the coins lit up and started to vibrate. Naruto and Gaara looked at each other in confusion, then glanced at their coin, waiting for Dumbledore's voice to come through and be able to inform him of the situation. However, when the two genin felt a strange tug at their navel and it seemed as if their bodies were being sucked through a straw, they knew they were in trouble.

* * *

The moment Kakashi sensed Harry and Cedric disappear, he knew there was something terribly wrong. It felt as if they had Disapparated, yet that would be impossible on the school grounds, especially since the wards had not been lifted. No—they must have been taken through other means. A Portkey, perhaps? But how? How could both boys disappear at the same exact moment?

_The trophy!_ Somehow, they must have gotten there at the same time and wanted to take it together, seeing as how it would still be a Hogwarts victory. As Kakashi raced towards the center of the maze he mentally berated himself.

How could he have been so stupid! The trophy was one of the last places he would think to look for something sinister—which made it all the more imperative that he did! If Harry died because of his lack in judgment Kakashi didn't know what he would do. He was so sick and tired of that seeming to be a common trend among those he got close to.

"Come in, Naruto . . . Gaara . . . come in." When he was met with static Kakashi swore loudly. He knew for a fact that the devices should last for another hour, so something must have been interfering with it. The tactic was a wise one, he had to admit. Cut off communication between your foes. It didn't matter though—in moments he would be right beside them and they would be able to discuss——

Kakashi actually lost his footing and fell to the ground in the middle of the doxy section. As the creatures swarmed and attacked his body the jounin weakly swatted them away before jumping back out of their grasp. He was able to easily pass through the magical barrier on top and he fell to his knees on the top of the large ledge. The jounin's breath came out in shallow rasps as his brain struggled to process the information.

Naruto and Gaara had disappeared as well.

How was that possible?! After all the precautions they'd taken, after all the worry and trouble and training—they were _still_ taken! That made a total of four people who were in the hands of whomever was behind all the nefarious events. Kakashi easily placed the blame on himself and clenched his fists in anger at his inability to protect four young boys. If any of them died . . . he didn't know what he'd do.

Harry was obviously the one everyone in the Wizarding World looked up to, so what would happen if he was taken away? How could he face Hermione, Ron, and all the Weasleys and anyone else the boy called a friend? What about Cedric? What about Naruto? How could he face Sakura or Tsunade or Jiraiya or any of the people Naruto had been able to push his way into their hearts? How could he face Temari or Kankurou—Gaara's siblings—and let them know he failed to protect someone they were beginning to see as more than the terror their father had forced them to see?

No . . . he would not do it. Kakashi stood up tall and took off toward the center of the maze with such a speed that would make Gai cry with happiness. There was still time and Kakashi was prepared to fight until his last breath to make sure the boys made it safely home.

When he arrived at the scene his suspicions about the trophy proved true, and the amount of lingering magic was so thick Kakashi could almost touch it. Whoever took them brought them a long distance from the school. Hopefully . . .

Kakashi immediately set to work. It would prove a little tricky, but he was sure he would be able to figure it out. He closed his eyes and let his chakra flow off him like thin tendrils, probing for information from the surrounding magic. Once he got what information he needed, Kakashi opened his eyes and began drawing a few rapid runes in a simple circular pattern on the ground with his blood. Since the trail was still fresh, the jounin was able to gather enough magical information about where the four were heading, and he planned to use it.

Satisfied with his somewhat hasty but nonetheless effective preparation, Kakashi made a few quick and calculated hand signs, slammed his cut finger on the ground, and yelled, "_Reverse Summoning!_" The ground lit up in a bright mixture of his blue chakra with what he supposed to be white magic. He smiled—it had worked. He was able to hold onto the position with his "magic side" and propel himself towards it with his chakra.

Just as the jutsu/spell was about to finish, Kakashi was vaguely aware of a swift motion near his side accompanied by a sharp pain in his right shoulder. Before he could do anything though, his unique jutsu/spell was completed and he felt the world spin underneath him. He would have to solve that puzzle after he was dragged to wherever the missing boys had disappeared to.

"Mad-Eye Moody" simply stared at the vacant space where Kakashi had stood just moments before, then glanced at his right hand. He chuckled as he tucked the empty syringe in one of his many coat pockets. The man shifted his gaze upwards towards the stars.

"That should even the playing field for you, my Lord," Moody mumbled.

* * *

**Ahhhh, cliffhangers. How I luv thee. XD **

**Anyway, what does Voldemort have in store for our beloved shinobi? Find out next chapter in **_The Graveyard_. **(original—I know) If all goes well I should have another chapter out by the end of the month! Preview for next chapter:**

Kakashi's eyes widened in alarm as he saw Naruto and Gaara slowly being killed, and one thought ran through his mind, _I must protect my comrades._

**Regarding Mrs. Weasley's introduction**—**don't get me wrong, I totally luv her but I realized I had neglected her reaction to the article (what mother _wouldn't_ be worried?) so this was the perfect chance for me to fix my mistake.**


	20. The Graveyard

**Hurray! I think that this is the fastest update that I've ever given, and I hope that the remaining few are just as quick—though they probably won't be as quick as this one.**

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**You know how Kyuubi's chakra is orange and the Two-Tail's is blue? I'm going to interpret Shukaku's as purple. (This will make more sense when you get to it)**

**Thank you so much my awesome reviewers! **MadnessLover, SumireMayonaka, KatonRyuuka, Lupanari , KakashiKrazed, DarcSlayer, candyman123, Kakashifangirlnumber1000, Megaolix, Little Kunai, Calamus, Moonfayth, frik1000, Ce-Ce Riddle, DarkRavie, Jumpingbeans480, The Laughing Phoenix, AvatardsUnite MM, ChinduPrinceOfDarkness, the true elec, Konerok Hadorak, Seventh Seed, Lord Perle, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, Madeline Cullen, cardcaptor eternity, wickedtruth89, chibibook, ArrangedloveMatch, sarahSADISTIC, yaoifangrl4ever, pamellka, Fox Loves Shinigami, SutaakiHitori, Lily Yamamoto, PancakeMixLordOfPantopia, BlackRoseFire, FullMetalExorcist, Elaienar, Lord Dragon Claw, FantomoDrako, Uzumaki Naruko14, Uchiha Kumiko, kimcat, SaphireShade, Lana-shino, strangenewage, arogus98, AznPuffyHair, mysteryman2000, **and **Namikazelil**!**

**First off, I must apologize to **AvatardsUnite MM** because I totally forgot about her catching the 850th review! I'm so sorry and here is a batch of my famous, homemade chocolate chip cookies! Please forgive!**

**I also have to thank **The Laughing Phoenix **for catching the 950th review! Yay! She has asked for something similar to the last request, and now we get to see how Naruto grew! Hope I did a good job. **

**Oh, and one more thing . . . I TOTALLY KNEW IT!! -happy dance- Naruto manga chapter 449 was totally awesome! I am so happy right now.**

* * *

Harry couldn't believe it. Just when something right and fantastic was about to happen to him, his bad luck seemed to strike again. Instead of standing in front of an energetic crowd and sharing the glory of winning with Cedric, Harry found himself bleeding, bound, and terrified with a dead Cedric at his feet. Oh, and Voldemort just gained a new body—complete with some of Harry's blood which meant his mother's dying wish no longer gave him an advantage over the Dark Lord.

Perfect.

As the man formerly known as Tom Riddle droned on and on about how he was resurrected, Harry fought against his bindings once more. Just then Voldemort held up a slender finger and sniffed the air through his thin nostrils. "They're coming." Harry blinked.

"What?"

The Dark Lord sneered and leaned in close to Harry. "Your friends."

Harry's eyes widened in fear. "If you so much as lay a finger on Ron or Hermione I swear I'll—"

Voldemort waved his hand in irritation. "Not _them!_ Your friends of actual interest." The young wizard frowned in confusion for a moment then gasped as he realized who he was talking about.

"No," he said weakly.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and Harry could only watch in horror at the events that unfolded.

* * *

The instant Gaara's feet hit solid ground he was yanked off his feet and thrust into a box. It was completely dark and he wondered briefly for a moment if he had gone blind. The sand reacted immediately but to his surprise and dismay he found it stopped responding a few seconds later. It took Gaara a split second to realize why it wouldn't respond, and when he did he found he had never been so scared for his life.

He was drowning.

Whomever the enemy was, they knew his weakness well. He thrashed against the small area he was contained in, only to find it was solid metal and all his kicking and punching barely made any dents. He desperately tried to think of any jutsu he could use, but the lack of oxygen made it difficult to think or concentrate. Pretty much all his jutsu used sand anyway.

As the seconds passed Gaara's movements became slower and more sluggish. He knew he wasn't going to last much longer, and he had mere seconds to live before he would die. When he couldn't control himself any longer, Gaara involuntarily swallowed some water.

At that instant the top of the box flew open and three pairs of hands grabbed him. He was thrown roughly on the ground and he struggled to get all the water out of his lungs while gulping as much air as he could. Through the fog in his brain the shinobi heard someone bellow, "_Bindus Morcus Lacendium!_" Ropes seemed to shoot out of nowhere and they tightly wrapped around his body, rendering him immovable—not that he had the strength to move anyway. He was feeling rather weak and dazed at the moment. When he finally cleared his head sufficiently enough to understand what was going on, Gaara almost wanted to be put back into the box.

Naruto hadn't fared much better. When the world stopped spinning a voice yelled, "_Petrificus Totalus!_" His body froze immediately and before he could fall over someone grasped him from behind and tried to move him. Everything was a blur for the moment but he knew that he wasn't going down without a fight. Pouring out his chakra, he fought against the invisible bonds and his efforts were soon rewarded.

The man who held him swore and Naruto threw his head back and was pleased to hear a satisfying _snap!_ He hoped he broke the guy's nose. _Just a few more seconds, _he thought. He was almost free and all he could see was his blue chakra flying all over the place.

Just as he regained mobility in his legs, it felt like a few bolts of lighting struck his body from behind. When it was over the genin collapsed on the ground, momentarily paralyzed.

"_Bindus Morcus Lacendium!_" Ropes snaked around his body and Naruto gasped as he felt his chakra paths blocked off. He was unable to move and the hands came again and tossed him into a chair. Not having access to any of his chakra left him with a slight headache. His eyes shifted to the person beside him.

"G-Gaara?" The redhead grimaced at him and nudged his head forward. Naruto followed his gaze and his mouth dropped open.

Standing in front of them was a very menacing wizard, his thin form wrapped in dark robes with red eyes and a bald head that reflected the pale light of the moon.

"Welcome, friends," the man chuckled. "So pleased you could make it tonight. You are, after all, two of my . . . _guests_ of honor." He gave a slight bow and Naruto heard laughing behind him. He was unable to turn around, but from the glimpses he had seen while fighting they were all dressed the same in dark, hooded robes.

"Where's Harry and Cedric?" Naruto demanded, growling as he spoke.

"Oh, they're right here." The man stepped to the side and gestured to a tomb behind him. Naruto and Gaara gasped as they saw Harry bound and bleeding with Cedric clearly dead on the ground nearby.

"What are they doing here?" Harry demanded. "It's me you want!"

"Quite right," the man sneered. "Though—just like you, these young boys have a part to play in my resurrection."

"Resurrection?" Naruto exclaimed. "Who are you?"

"Lord Voldemort." Naruto and Gaara's eyes widened in shock. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? How was this happening?

"Young Harry here just witnessed my glorious rebirth," Voldemort went on to explain. "And now he has the privilege to witness my ascension to full power."

"What are you talking about?" Harry demanded.

Voldemort tsked as if he were disappointed in Harry. "Haven't you figured it out already, my dear boy?" The Dark Lord walked over to the two bound shinobi and stood in front of them. The genin shuddered as he placed a thin, spidery hand on each of their cheeks and gently caressed their face. "After spending so much time with them I'm sure you've realized that they are quite special." He turned back around and faced Harry while placing a hand on each of their heads.

"There is something inside of them with enormous energy, with more power than any of us could hope to imagine," he explained. "My associates and I have been working _tirelessly_ since their arrival in this world to figure out how to procure this power." The genin winced as Voldemort grabbed their hair tightly and bent their heads back.

"And we succeeded."

Voldemort's hands lit up and the two shinobi cried out in pain. Harry stared in horror as orange, cloudy discharge came out through Naruto's eyes and mouth and snaked up Voldemort's arms. The same thing happened to Gaara though his was a purple discharge.*****

"**I can feel the power flowing into me!"** Voldemort yelled over their screams, his voice echoing as if he were in a tunnel. **"I've never felt so alive in my life!"**

* * *

Kakashi landed on the ground none too gracefully, falling headfirst into a large bush. _At least it's not full of roses_, he thought dryly. He picked himself up and glanced around his surroundings, all the while probing for Naruto or Gaara's chakra as well as Harry and Cedric's magical signature.

From what he could tell they were four miles from his position, leaving him quite pleased. _Wasn't too far off the mark._ Without wasting another moment the jounin took off in their direction. They seemed to be surrounded by a very dense concentration of magic and Kakashi knew he would be dealing with some very powerful wizards.

What distressed him though was how faint the signals seemed to be, with Cedric's actually being nonexistent. Kakashi held onto the false hope that he was severely injured and the other magical signatures were interfering with his sensing capabilities somehow. He couldn't be too sure in this dimension.

What did they want anyway? Harry was pretty much a given, seeing as how Kakashi had been warned by Dumbledore in the first place. Cedric was obviously a glitch in the plans, something the enemy hadn't anticipated. Since the trophy was obviously meant for Harry, it meant that Fleur and Krum were not attacked by the animals but by the enemy, and either Cedric escaped or the enemy hadn't made it to him yet back there.

As for Naruto and Gaara . . . Kakashi almost didn't want to know. Were they taken for their power? If so, then the enemy didn't know exactly what they were dealing with. Young they may be, but from personal experience, Kakashi knew that bijuu were something not to be reckoned with. It didn't ease his fears though. There was still so much that Kakashi didn't know about this strange world so who's to say they didn't have methods that could separate them from their demons? In his reading the matter of Dark Magic was frequently touched upon as dangerous and the full capabilities were as of yet unknown.

Kakashi hoped it wouldn't come to that. From what he heard about the bijuu extractions that were done in Suna, the Jinchuuriki never survived the process. _Just hold on_, he pleaded.

To the jounin's surprise he slipped on one of the buildings he tried to jump off of and he collapsed on the ground on top of something metal. It knocked the breath out of him and Kakashi's head throbbed with pain while his world went black.

A couple seconds later the feeling passed, leaving Kakashi quite confused. He pushed himself off the metal and looked back at it, recognizing it from his readings to be what the people of this dimension called a "car." Ever since reading about it, he had wanted to see what one looked like up close and be granted the chance to examine how they worked.

Kakashi shook his head. What was he doing? His students and friends were in trouble and he was being distracted! And what was the deal with that feeling from earlier? Kakashi's eyes widened in fear as he remembered what happened right before he left the maze.

_The enemy must have shot me with something,_ he figured. _But what—_ He gasped as he realized what must have occurred. _The toxin!_ The man who attacked Mr. Crouch must have injected him with a liquid form of the toxin he encountered earlier! It seemed like he changed it so it was slow-acting, since it didn't seem to be affecting him outright like before. He most likely didn't have much time left, so he had to save the genin and wizards before it was too late. With new vigor Kakashi took off towards them, silently praying once again that they would hold on until he got there.

When he had about a quarter of a mile left to go, Kakashi fell down once more, the previous feeling returning. His vision blacked out for a moment and his head felt like it would split open. As he plummeted to the earth Kakashi desperately tried to reach out for something to stall him but his sense of smell and place were also inhibited.

Once the feeling disappeared Kakashi slowly pushed himself up off the ground, wincing as he did so. As soon he could see, the jounin glanced around to see where he had turned up this time, hoping no one had noticed his arrival.

"Hey buddy . . . are—are you all right?" Kakashi turned toward the voice and discovered to his dismay that his fall had been seen by three men. Though, judging by their stumble and the pungent smell lingering around them, he could pass off his strange appearance as an effect of their drinking.

"What . . . what did you do to the ground, man?"

Kakashi followed the second man's gaze and swore quietly. His less than graceful landing had caused a large crater in the cement. _Physical evidence._ It would explain the sharp pain in his back though.

"Maa—I just tripped into the hole," he chuckled. "Guess I didn't see it." That explanation seemed to appease the men and one even stepped forward to lend a hand. "Thanks." The man smiled back but his expression quickly turned into one of concern.

"Whatcha do to your arm, man?" Kakashi looked at his right arm and noticed it was bleeding. _Strange, I didn't even notice._

"Must have hit it when I fell," Kakashi shrugged. "It's noth—" The jounin clutched his head tightly as the dizziness returned once again with more force. The lapses between each episode were decreasing and Kakashi knew it was just a matter of time before either it would last for so long it would put him into a coma or result in his death.

He could barely make out someone yelling in concern, the muffled voices coming from all directions. Kakashi blindly fumbled for his weapon pouch and snatched a small vial out from it. Without hesitation he clicked it open and plunged it into his thigh. Almost immediately the pain and disorientation subsided.

"—need to get him to the hospital! Frank, give me a hand!"

Kakashi blinked and shook his head to drive away the lingering fog in his brain. He knew the antidote he used wouldn't last for long but at the moment it was working. Each jounin was equipped with a generic antidote to tide them over until a more specialized one was available should they need it.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Kakashi protested as the two men dragged him along.

"Sure," the first one snorted. "Like we'll believe that."

"You fell to your knees and couldn't hear us," Frank explained.

"Either you had too much to drink or you're using," the first one said. "We can't let you wander around by yourself."

Kakashi sighed. He didn't want to be rude to Frank and his friends when they were trying to be kind, but his students were in grave danger.

"You don't understand, I need to—" Kakashi's eye widened as he felt the demon's chakra suddenly cloud his senses. He had to get there _now!_

"Hey!" Kakashi felt a light slap on his face. "Stay with us, man!" Kakashi brought himself back to where he was and saw the three men staring at him fearfully.

"You keep spacing out!" the third man said.

"That's it—to the hospital with you," the first man said firmly. Kakashi sighed.

"I'm really sorry, but if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I must get going," he said cheerfully, bringing his hand up for a small salute. Before they could blink Kakashi jumped into the air and continued on his way.

Frank, Rob, and Brian all stared in shock at the place the strange man had stood. "On second thought—let's not go over to Carson's. I think we've had enough to drink tonight," Rob said slowly. His friends silently agreed.

* * *

All Naruto could see was a hazy orange fog and he could actually feel Kyuubi's chakra being stripped from his body through his mouth and eye sockets. The pain was excruciating, almost as if he were being turned inside out with thousands of miniature needles tugging on him. His ears were undamaged though, and he could hear his own screams intermixing with Kyuubi's furious protests inside his mind. The demon was making every type of threat it could, describing how it would devour Voldemort limb by limb once he had the chance. He even told Naruto that if he didn't fight back and the process was completed—he would perish as well.

Not that he wasn't trying. Every part of Naruto's consciousness that wasn't starting to shut down from the pain was focused on trying to re-establish a connection with his own chakra and break out of Voldemort's grasp. Though from the combination of the strange rope spell and the obvious paralysis the spell that Voldemort was using caused—he wasn't going to break free anytime soon.

Gaara was suffering the same effects as well. Without access to his chakra he felt blind and desperately fought against the effects to try and make contact with the sand in his robe. He just needed to make some of his sand move!

* * *

Kakashi stared in shock at the scene before him. He had finally reached the area where he sensed the demons' chakra, and it was clear his students were in grave danger. They were bound and sitting in a chair with the demons' chakra being slowly pulled out of them by a powerful man in between them. Cedric was lying on the floor dead, while Harry was bound to a tombstone a few meters in front of Kakashi's hiding place, preventing the jounin from getting a good look at him. He focused his attention back on his students after his assessment of the wizard boys.

The purple and orange chakra coiled up the man's arms and then entered into his own eyes and mouth. His entire body was encased in a pale glow that was a mixture of the two colors. Even from back where he was, Kakashi felt his body weighed down by the raw energy being emitted. From what he could tell, somehow the mysterious wizard had unlocked a way to forcibly separate a Jinchuuriki from his demon and if this progressed any further—Naruto and Gaara would surely die. One thought ran through his mind, _I must protect my comrades_.

Kakashi immediately unveiled his Sharingan, performed the necessary seals, gripped his right arm, brought his deadly jutsu to life, and charged at the offending man.

Sensing the disturbance, Voldemort let go of the boys and stared at the charging ninja. He grinned, each eye glowing with residual power from his previous actions—giving him a deranged look with his discolored eyes.

Within seconds his faithful and dimwitted followers Apparated in the shinobi's path, wands at the ready. Voldemort folded his arms in anticipation at what would happen next. _I hope you are as powerful as my servant led me to believe._

Kakashi knew he was in trouble the moment he took off from his hiding place in the bushes. The antidote was wearing off and he was unable to use the majority of his inhuman speed. Thankfully his Sharingan was still working, but it increased his energy drain exponentially. This would have to be fast or else he wouldn't be any help at all.

The first two wizards were easy enough to dispatch. Kakashi simply dodged their spells and delivered a swift kick to their side, sending them to their knees. The next two were smarter and kept their distance but a few well thrown kunai in their direction kept them out of his way.

He had the pleasure of slitting the throat of the fifth one though. The man was bold enough to attack him that directly, but it was the last mistake he ever made.

There was only one left, standing in front of the main offender. He had long, silvery hair that fell daintily on his shoulders and if he had the time, Kakashi would have rather enjoyed taunting him.

The jounin's vision in both eyes started to deteriorate, with darkness slowly creeping in from the sides. It had to be now or never. Kakashi drew back his right hand at the same moment the silver-haired man yelled, "_Avada Kedavra!_"

Kakashi didn't have the energy or speed to jump out of the way of the green spell headed straight for him, but he did have enough time to raise his arm and block the spell with his chidori. It pulsated with the power the man was continuously emitting at him, glowing from blue to green. Kakashi's heels dug into the earth as he struggled to hold up against the Unforgivable Curse, but then his now green chidori exploded in a large flash of green sparks, sending him spiraling into the air.

The only noise that could be heard was the sound of his lifeless body colliding onto the ground next to Cedric.

* * *

"NOOOO!" Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. It just wasn't possible. Kakashi was one of the greatest shinobi of the village—he couldn't die! He always seemed like one of those people who would live forever.

Before Sasuke left, they certainly had their close calls. With Kakashi's reputation being what it was, they ran into a larger number of powerful shinobi than most teams. As a result they gained a lot more experience, but it was always Kakashi in the end who saved them. After so many near death encounters, the three genin always expected their sensei to get better, but they still slept easier whenever he was released from the hospital.

However, it seemed as if his good luck had just run out. Naruto closed his eyes and tried to search for his sensei's chakra but discovered he couldn't. The ropes were still around him and blocked his chakra. He had figured out earlier how to distinguish magical signatures from chakra signatures, as well as signatures that came from living beings as opposed to inanimate objects that had been magicked. He was rather proud of this accomplishment, having figured it out all by himself, and Kakashi was as well.

Naruto clenched his teeth tightly and fought back the tears that threatened to fall. Now was not the time for crying like a child. While he knew one of the shinobi rules was to not show any emotion, Naruto found there was another take one could have on it. It was obviously created to disuade any strong and powerful emotions that would cause a lack in judgement, and Naruto knew that to be true. Whenever he fought out of anger or fear, his movements were hasty and not well thought out. However, Naruto found it difficult and unwise to completely bury his emotions. They were what kept him human and defined him.

And so, Naruto preferred to interpret the 25th shinobi rule to mean that a proper shinobi should transform their strong emotions into something that fueled their actions. Turn that fear or anger into the determination and persistence that would give him an edge over his opponent. If only he could get these ropes off.

"Impressive," Voldemort said, walking over to Kakashi's body. "Under the influence of a nearly fatal toxin and you still managed to kill one of my men and severely injure two others without the use of a wand." He chuckled. "I wish I could have watched you fight normally."

Gaara was simply stunned. He had killed countless people before without blinking, but Kakashi's death made his heart burn with the same pain he felt when he was lonely. He didn't know the copy nin as much as Naruto, but he somehow felt attached to him. Memories of how he would stay up with him every Sunday night and play Wizard's chess with him resurfaced, making those sleepless nights a little more endurable. _How could he be dead?_

The Dark Lord sniffed the air through his snake-like nostrils. "Good job, Lucius," he cackled. "Now, where were we?" He sneered at Harry before turning his attention back to the shinobi.

Harry just stared at the limp body, his mouth hanging open. _First Cedric, now Kakashi?_ He had grown quite close to the ninja over the course of the school year, who had even accepted a request from Dumbledore to protect him. Now, he was lying lifeless on the ground before him, just like Cedric.

_How many people are going to be killed at the hand of Voldemort because of me? How many more will be required to give their lives so that I can live? _Harry decided then and there that he would work as hard as he could to become stronger than Voldemort, so that everyone would not have died in vain. Then he could rid the world of the one who did nothing but cause so much pain.

Voldemort reached out for the shinobi and laughed when they glared at him. "Dangerous faces for ones as young as you! Besides—haven't you learned to respect your superiors?"

"Untie us and we'll show you just how we _respect_ people like you!" Naruto yelled.

Tom Riddle grinned and leaned in closer, showing off his sharp, ivory teeth. "As much as I would love to see a demonstration of the power children have in your dimension—you're needed for something much more important." The Dark Lord stood up and slowly paced in front of the shinobi. "Thanks to the medical records my servant obtained from the infirmary, my followers were able to figure out just how to block access to your peculiar power—or, at least your _personal_ power. Madame Pomfrey was quite thorough, and reported about the two different types of energy you seemed to possess. One was closely connected to all your vital organs and patterned all throughout your body in a complex network, which the other was tightly focused in the lower abdomen."

"This is the power I want—the endless supply of raw energy that will make me invincible. Not even Dumbledore or the famous Harry Potter will be able to stop me." Voldemort's hands reached out for the shinobi once more.

"Leave them ALONE!" Harry wasn't going to let anyone else die tonight.

Voldemort's hands froze and then he whipped around to face the struggling boy. "Forgive me Harry, are you jealous of the attention that I'm giving your friends?" he cooed.

Harry just struggled against his bounds and growled at the Dark Lord.

"I see . . . So, do you wish to fight me, Harry Potter?" Again, Harry just glared at him.

"Anger . . . " Voldemort whispered, "Very good. Let that anger fill you up Harry, and we shall duel. But first, it would do me great pleasure to give you a taste of my newfound power . . . _Crucio!_"

Harry screamed so loud he felt his throat go numb, every part of him felt like it was being pressed against a hot piece of metal, it felt like his skin was peeling itself off . . . Voldemort had acquired this new power from the two shinobi, how was he ever going to defeat him now?

Just when he felt inclined to welcome death as opposed to the pain, it stopped and he lay there limply against the ropes, gasping for air.

"You are strong, Harry," the Dark Lord congratulated. "Now, we shall finally see who is stronger, because there is no one left to save you now." With a flick of his wand the cords disappeared and Harry collapsed on the ground.

"Come, come Harry!" Voldemort ordered. "I thought you wanted to kill me?" Fueled by anger and willpower alone, Harry pushed himself off the ground, and held out his wand.

"Wait, wait," Voldemort chided. "You have been taught how to properly duel, yes?" Harry didn't answer, just glared at Voldemort with an intensity that could rival Kakashi's. "We bow to each other, Harry." The Dark Lord bent down a little, all the time keeping his eyes on Harry.

"Come, the niceties must be observed . . . Dumbledore would like you to show manners . . . Bow to death, Harry . . ." Suddenly there was an invisible hand forcing him down, and he was unable to resist.

"Very good." The pressure suddenly lifted off Harry. "And now—we duel."

* * *

Naruto fought against the rope and to his surprise it gave away and he let out a sigh of relief as he felt his chakra pathways unblocked. He looked over at Gaara and saw he had done the same. They turned their attention to Harry and Voldemort's duel and saw that the men who had attacked them upon arrival were busy watching, forming a circle around the two wizards a few feet away.

"They must have released the spell," Naruto mused.

"Then now's our chance to attack," Gaara said. He pushed himself off the chair yet to his and Naruto's surprise, collapsed on the ground.

"Gaara! Are you—" Naruto leapt off his chair only to fall in a similar fashion. He suddenly felt very dizzy and had a hard time focusing. "Wha-what is . . . happening?"

Gaara waited a few seconds to answer while he lay on the ground panting. "I . . . I think I know. It looked like he was . . . extracting the bijuu, and when that was done in Suna . . . the Jinchuuriki never survived."

Naruto was silent for a moment, then declared, "Well—we're not dead yet!" With the strength that few others possessed, Naruto pushed himself into a rather shaky standing position. Once he was steady enough he held out a hand for Gaara.

The Suna shinobi was impressed, to say the least. His body was so heavy and sore he could barely crawl, let alone stand. How could Naruto do that? Suddenly Gaara recalled the time he fought Naruto for the first time. How he crawled over to him by his _chin!_ All because his friends were in danger and he . . . loved them. Gaara had always wondered when he would be able to do the same, and it seemed like now was finally the time. He spared a glance over at Kakashi, and knew that was who Naruto was fighting for. He looked back at Naruto, his hand still extended but now there were silent tears softly falling down his face.

Love was the key, wasn't it? Well, he knew that Kakashi was an important person to him, and that he had a special connection to the jounin. Gaara was unsure if it was love, but he knew it would be enough.

He nodded at Naruto and grasped his hand, and then with the blonde's help, stood up as well. Naruto beamed at him and Gaara found himself smiling as well. Fully determined, the two made their way over to Kakashi and Cedric. They stumbled a few times and were quite slow, with each of them relying on the other for support, but they made it. The two shinobi collapsed on the floor and looked back towards Harry and Voldemort's fight just in time to see a spectacular sight.

Harry yelled, "_Expelliarmus!_" while Voldemort cried, "_Avada Kedavra_!" at the same time. The green and red lights collided and merged into a bright, deep gold, and both wands were vibrating so hard that both were struggling to hold on. Then, both suddenly rose into the air and eventually became surrounded by a golden, dome-shaped web.

Voldemort was screaming to his Death Eaters, but the shinobi were still suffering aftereffects so they couldn't hear. The two continued to gaze in shock as what appeared to be ghosts come out of Voldemort's wand and talk to Harry. The air was filled with the most beautiful song they had ever heard, which strangely enough made them feel quite peaceful inside. They watched for what seemed like forever, until Harry screamed, "NOW!" and he yanked up his wand causing him and Voldemort to plunge to the earth. The white ghosts that had been around Harry flew in front of the Death Eaters and formed a barrier between them and Harry.

As Harry charged towards them, blocking and dodging spells, he ordered, "Take Kakashi and Cedric's hands! Make sure you're all connected!" Unable to understand the strange order, they nevertheless did as they were told.

Naruto gripped Gaara's hand as well as Kakashi's, ignoring the shock of his sensei's cold and clammy flesh, while Gaara used his other hand to grab Cedric's.

"Stand aside! I will kill him! He is mine!" Voldemort shrieked. Harry dodged a curse and fell to ground, grabbing Cedric's other hand and pointed his wand at the Triwizard Cup.

"_Accio!_" They all gazed at the cup flying through the air and Harry caught it by the handle. As they all felt the familiar jerk behind their navels that meant they were going back, Voldemort's scream of fury echoed in their ears.

They were safe at last.

* * *

**Don't kill me! *hides underneath the desk* (I did say this was a unique crossover, didn't I?) The next chapter will be up as soon as possible, though possibly not as quick as this 'cause I'll finally get to spend some time with my family! Yayz!**

***Before anyone protests about Gaara's demon withdrawal, please listen to me first. I know in the anime it was orange/red, but the manga shows just white and we don't know if that's the real color or not. Plus—this is a different process, done by a wizard with dark magic and not the Akatsuki so it makes perfect sense if it doesn't seem exactly the same.**

**ALSO**—**while I know some of you wanted me to sic a 4-tailed Naruto at Voldemort (it was rather quite tempting, I assure you) I must remind you that he is 12-13 years old, and that Voldemort would die. While that might seem like a crazy reason, I still need that ##$% and if that happened in the "4th book" what about the other three? All will make sense later. XD**

**Voldemort will die . . . just not yet. XP (though I have a wonderful surprise for him in the next chapter)**

**EDIT: Some people have questions as to whether or not the demons were taken, so I will tell you that THEY WEREN'T! First of all, both of them are still alive and breathing, and if you recall, Harry interrupted Voldemort from going back to the shinobi after he inspected Kakashi. Also—the regular extraction took many days, and Voldemort couldn't have done more than a few minutes' worth. **


	21. The Imposter

**Holy crap! Look at this super fast update! FIVE DAYS!! I think I've broken my record. **

**Thank you my totally awesome reviewers! **Romantiscue, KatonRyuuka, SumireMayonaka, Mesonoxian, Peter Rabid, DarkRavie, Reikson, GodOfStorms, Little Kunai, Moonfayth, Lupanari, Acara Whitefox, Kakashifangirlnumber1000, FullMetalExorcist, Ce-Ce Riddle, Orihime-San, spiritkiller1000, Kitty-chan and Nya-chan, Megaoli, cardcaptor eternity, KakashiKrazed, SongoftheDarquePhoenix, Diamonds-r-4ever-so-am-I, kimcat, Jumpingbeans480, frik1000, AvatardsUnite MM, AznPuffyHair, PedroCullenBloomTM, SaphireShade, Lana-shino, wednesday1990, dragoncrazy247, SharinganKumiko, ., Shai Neko (2), Sceptre, yaoifangrl4ever, pamellka, Madeline Cullen, Seventh Seed, Zetsu's Other Half, DarcSlayer, SutaakiHitori, Loesmar, ShadowHeart251, mysteryP, Sakamoto Michiko, ColorfulDesert, Utena-Puchiko-nyu, MadnessLover, batmanfan0214, FantomoDrako, T., ConnectFire611, 2-10-11eyesFINGERStoes, ArrangedloveMatch, Namikazelil, The-Eighth-Sin, actressforever, the true elec, Belle Mort 13, Vero-Enelya, Fury074 (2), redfoxrose

**As far as reviews go, I think that the ones from last chapter were the most entertaining ones I've ever gotten! I got more threats than I ever got in my life, and some people suggested I castrate Voldemort! 8D While that does not happen in this chapter, I can promise you that he won't like what happens to him.**

**The lucky** Orihime-San **has caught the 1,000th REVIEW!! For this special occasion, she will get a oneshot from me**—**a Naruto/Avatar crossover! It'll be up soon!**

**And then** Fury074** has caught the 1,050th review! The request will be fulfilled later.**

**And so, I just want to profusely and eternally thank everyone who has made this amazing thing possible! When joining this site I thought I would be lucky to just get a few reviews and I was just fine with that. All that mattered to me was that I had fun doing what I luv more than anything, and to know that others enjoyed my stories. I NEVER thought something like this would happen! Getting this many reviews was a sort of dream that I thought would be fun but unattainable. THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!! -wipes tear- **

**All right, mushy stuff over. Let's get to the story! :)**

* * *

The long line of people slammed into the ground, their faces pressed against the grass. It had taken all of their energy to stay together during their journey, and now all they wanted to do was rest. All breath had left them, and neither wanted to face the cruel reality of those dead beside them.

An explosion of sound greeted them, beginning as a cheer, but then it changed to screams when they noticed all five were not moving.

"Harry! _Harry!_"

Said boy opened his eyes lazily and noticed Dumbledore crouched over him, shaking him awake. The fear that was in the headmaster's eyes disappeared for a moment then was replaced by concern.

Naruto and Gaara lifted themselves off the ground as Harry cried, "He's back. He's back. Voldemort's back."

The man called Fudge rushed forward and held out a finger to Cedric's neck. "My God—Diggory! Dumbledore—he's dead!" he shrieked. His exclamation was met with gasps and cries from the crowd.

Naruto could only gaze at his sensei, tears clouding his vision. Sobs began to rack his body, and he screeched his sensei's name, as if it would bring him back to life. Tears welled up in Gaara's eyes, but they did not fall. Instead, he watched as Dumbledore looked at the two boys with pity. He knew that they would be needed to assist Harry, but he never would have thought it would come to this. The headmaster began to have second doubts about the lengths he went to (and forced _others _to go through) for the greater good. In a last desperate act of hope, Dumbledore put his finger against Kakashi's neck.

"He's not dead," he whispered in amazement. Gaara frowned, not sure he heard correctly. "He's not dead!" the headmaster said louder, some relief in his face. "Someone summon Madame Pomfrey! He's barely alive, but he still has a chance!" At that Dumbledore gently let go of Harry and desperately tried to save Kakashi's life.

Naruto ceased crying and bent down, his ear pressed against his sensei's chest. Sure enough, he was breathing! His breaths were very shallow, uneven, and barely there, but he was nonetheless alive! He yelped for joy, but as Naruto was about to hug him, Gaara held him back.

"Idiot," he said. "Let . . . let him breathe." Naruto nodded sheepishly, and instead turned his attention to Harry. The boy was simply staring at Cedric's body, which was currently being sobbed over by someone whom Naruto guessed to be his father.

Suddenly Harry was being dragged along by Moody, who hobbled on his good leg. "It's all right, son, I've got you . . . come on . . . hospital wing," to which Harry protested in a groggy voice, but he allowed Moody to carry him. As they passed the two ninja, Moody stopped and pondered for a moment, then ordered, "You two should come as well, you need attention."

Naruto shook his head and dove for Kakashi again, not wanting to leave until his sensei spoke to him, but Gaara grabbed his shoulders and stood up.

"We need to receive treatment as well." Unable to disagree, Naruto slowly nodded and limped along with Gaara, still leaning on the other for support as they followed the Professor. Everyone was too busy with weeping for Cedric or attempting to save Kakashi's life to notice them drifting away.

They walked in silence as Harry explained to Moody what happened. Their strength had mostly returned, but the two shinobi felt like doing nothing but sleeping for many hours. Gaara, of course, could do nothing of the sort, but maybe (just maybe) the extraction attempt had weakened Shukaku enough that he wouldn't try anything. Perhaps Gaara could manage ten minutes of _real _sleep!

When they finally reached Moody's office he magicked three chairs and gestured for Naruto and Gaara to sit while he assisted Harry, who looked like he was ready to faint any second. Once he saw the three of them were properly situated he rushed to his desk and with his back to them, quickly filled three goblets.

"Drink it you three, you'll all feel better." He handed them each their own cup. "Come on, now, Harry, I need to know exactly what happened." The peppery liquid burned their throats, but it helped them focus and feel more awake. Moody was glancing at the three of them in fear, and Naruto had to admit that their arrival must have been quite alarming, even for a hardened wizard like Mad-Eye. He must have felt somewhat responsible when Harry disappeared and—

"Wait!" Everyone turned to Naruto, startled by his outburst.

"The coins you gave us brought us to the graveyard!" Naruto accused. "You—"

"Use your head, Naruto!" Moody barked. "Those coins were using a _transmission!_ Dumbledore was trying to contact you when someone interfered, and I fear that is how Voldemort was able to take you." The professor leaned against his desk wearily. "When Dumbledore told me that you didn't respond to his message I knew something was wrong, but you were already gone when I arrived." He rubbed his temples in frustration. "Kakashi was already there, trying to figure out a way to reach you and no matter what I said, he wouldn't listen. I'm glad he found you though," he added while smiling faintly at the trio.

"I deeply apologize for putting you in danger like that. If I had known—" Naruto and Harry gave the professor sympathetic looks as his voice wavered, but Gaara narrowed his eyes. Maybe he was just too suspicious from his assassin-filled past, but there was something odd about the way Mood was acting.

"So, Harry . . . how do you know Voldemort's back?" Moody asked, turning to Harry. "What happened? How could something like this be possible?"

"He took stuff from his father's grave, Wormtail, and from me," Harry said quietly.

"From you? What?"

"Blood," Harry said, raising his arm. Naruto and Gaara looked at him in alarm.

Moody swore, then said in a furious voice, "And I suppose all the Death Eaters returned. How did he treat them? Did he forgive them?"

"Yes, they did and he—wait? What do you mean by—" Harry gasped as he remembered what he should have told Dumbledore. "Death Eater! There's a Death Eater at Hogwarts!" he exclaimed. "He put my name in the Goblet of Fire, made sure I got through to the end—" Harry tried to stand up but Moody pushed him back down.

"I know who the Death Eater is," he said softly. Gaara clenched his fists and did a mental check of his sand. Most of it was still wet, but he was sure there was enough that had dried to incapacitate the man if necessary.

"Karkaroff? Where is he? Have you got him? Is he locked up?" Harry demanded.

"Karkaroff?" said Moody with an odd laugh. "He fled like the coward he is as soon as he felt the Dark Mark burn on his arm. He thinks he can get away, but the Dark Lord has ways of tracking his enemies."

"He's gone? He ran away? But then—he didn't put my name in the goblet?"

"No, he—" Moody winced in pain and covered his face.

"Are you okay, professor?" Harry asked. Naruto and Gaara narrowed their eyes, noticing that Moody's smell was fluctuating oddly. It was as if he were two different people.

"Who are you really?" Gaara demanded.

"Wh-what are you talking about? Some funny game?" Moody chuckled nervously. He reached for his personal flask and poured the contents into his mouth—or rather, he tried to.

"What you're drinking smells like a potion!" Naruto accused, pointing a finger at Moody.

"Don't be ridiculous!" the professor snapped. Gaara noticed that his hands were shaking and he and Naruto leapt off their chair into a defensive position.

"If you're trying to trick us, it won't work!" Naruto threatened.

"Oh _please_," Moody smirked. "You've already walked into all my traps little ninjas, and you just stepped into another one. _Epotus!_" Naruto and Gaara cried out in pain and fell to their knees, with Gaara clutching his head and Naruto's arms wrapped around his chest. They felt nauseous and their vision was seriously impaired, only able to see blotches of colored light in front of them while their head and chest throbbed.

Harry could only stare in shock at his two friends writhing in pain on the ground while Moody chuckled in front of them, his wand trained on Harry.

"What . . . cat got your tongue, _Potter? _Or have you finally realized that the culprit has been me all this time?"

"I . . . it-it can't be you!" Harry protested. _How could this be possible? Mad-Eye Moody—a Death Eater?_

"Easy. I put your name in the Goblet of Fire under a different school. I frightened off everyone who might have tried to hurt you or prevent you from winning the tournament. I persuaded Hagrid to show you the dragons, and showed you the only way to beat them." Moody slowly stepped closer to Harry, his wand pointed at his heart.

"I'll admit it wasn't easy, especially with your constant fouling up, but it all worked out in the end. I gave the Longbottom boy a book that discussed the uses for gillyweed and all you had to do was _ask_ him! But no, you didn't and so I had to tip off that house-elf you mentioned at the Yule Ball about gillyweed so he would bring it to you. _Then_ you had to be a noble git and stay down in the lake forever, but thankfully that optimistic oaf _Dumbledore_ took it for bravery."

"In the maze, I got rid of a lot of your problems for you, including the other champions. It seems like you saved Cedric Diggory and he came along for the journey, but thankfully he was properly indisposed of." Harry felt his blood boil at the sneer on Moody's face as he talked about Cedric's death so cheerfully.

"It seems like luck has been on your side again," he continued, gesturing to the suffering shinobi on the ground, "but now there is no one to save you." Harry backed up in the chair as Moody rested the wand on his chest. "Imagine how the Dark Lord will reward me, when I manage to kill the infamous, _Harry Potter_," he whispered, a dreamy look in his eyes.

Suddenly there was sand everywhere and Moody jumped back, narrowly missing a small, tendril-like configuration of sand. It slammed into the ground and splintered the wood. Harry glanced back at the shinobi and saw Gaara's sand flailing around him, giving him the appearance of a crazed, human octopus. He was still clutching his head and was kneeling with one hand on the floor for support, but he was glaring at Moody while in obvious pain. One eye was closed but the one that Harry could see looked the same as it did that day he partially transformed into that monster. His pupil had shrunk and the blood vessels were more pronounced.

Harry backed up in his chair and did his best to avoid the uncontrollable assault by Gaara's sand. The wizard heard Moody swear over the roar of the miniature sandstorm, and bellow, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

"Gaara!" Harry cried, but it was no use. Moody had magicked one of his Foe-Glass on the nearest wall to move towards Gaara and by some odd luck, remained unscathed long enough for the professor to drop it on the genin's head. The glass shattered and Gaara's eye returned to normal as he passed out in surprise. The sand immediately ceased swarming around the small office and fell to the floor in a heap. Harry shook his head to get all the sand out of it and spat out the small amount that managed to get in his mouth. He then glanced in concern at the genin's crumpled body while Moody laughed.

"There's still one more!" Harry felt an odd desire to cheer as Naruto charged towards Moody, a kunai already in hand.

"_Protego!_" Naruto was thrown back by the effects of the spell but he twisted in the air and threw his kunai. To Harry and Moody's surprise the kunai landed quite a few feet above Moody's head in the wall, above the shield.

"That was _pathetic!_" Moody snickered. "Do you really think you can defeat me when that toxin affects you so much you can't even _aim_ properly? You may be from another dimension or world, but wizards are far superior. Haven't I shown you that yet?"

Naruto landed on the ground somewhat gracefully and calmly stood up. "Oh, you've shown me something all right. I've learned how _stupid_ wizards are!"

Moody frowned but before he could say anything there was a kunai at his back and his wand was wrenched out of his hands.

"_You _should have learned to never underestimate a shinobi," a voice hissed from behind him. Harry was astonished to see another Naruto in back of Moody and was confused at how Naruto did that. The shield spell made it _impossible_ for anyone to—Harry looked back to where the kunai had hit the wall, noticing it had disappeared. He recalled back to when Naruto played that trick on Snape earlier in the school year, how he had transformed one of his clones into a fox. Naruto must have transformed a clone into his weapon so it could avoid the shield spell and get behind Moody. It was quite impressive.

The clone Naruto pulled Moody's protesting arms behind his back while the original Naruto dug into his weapon pouch for some more weapons and string. "You . . . yo-you can't do this to me!" Moody screamed.

Naruto growled at Moody, his usual blue eyes now a deep red with slitted pupils, and his clenched teeth were much sharper and more feral. "Oh, yes I can!" Harry blinked and suddenly Moody was bound and pinned to the wall by some of the genin's shuriken and kunai. The original Naruto nodded to the clone who then disappeared while Naruto slowly walked over to Moody.

"Good-bye," Naruto whispered, holding a kunai against Moody's throat.

Suddenly the door burst open and Harry spun around to see Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape all standing in the doorway. McGonagall stared at Naruto in fright while Snape glanced around the room in surprise, but Dumbledore was another story.

It was then that Harry could easily see why Voldemort only feared Dumbledore. His usual kind smile was gone, replaced by such a cold look that Harry involuntarily shivered. It was the same suffocating feeling Harry felt whenever Kakashi was furious.

"Naruto! Let go of him!" McGonagall ordered. When he didn't move she tried again, but Harry could tell Naruto wasn't able to hear them. There was pure hatred in Naruto's eyes and Harry could easily see him for the shinobi that he was. Harry had never killed anyone before, but he finally understood that Naruto had already killed more than he ever had or will at a younger age. Harry had always known, but he had never been able to believe it until now.

"Naruto! _Kare o hatsubai!_" The genin blinked, finally registering that there were others in the room. He looked back towards Dumbledore, kunai still around Moody's neck. "We need information from him," the headmaster said sternly. "You of all people should understand how important an informant can be." Naruto eyes widened before he nodded in embarrassment and pocketed the kunai.

"And if you wouldn't mind," Dumbledore continued, "could you remove him from the wall so that he doesn't die from blood loss before we can get any information out of him?" Naruto nodded sheepishly and then freed Moody while Snape and Professor McGonagall put him in a chair, leaving him bound in the string. As Dumbledore walked over to Moody he placed a gentle hand on Naruto's shoulder and turned to Harry.

"I apologize for not coming sooner. I was so preoccupied with getting medical help for Mr. Hatake that I did not notice you three had run off." He sighed. "The _real_ Alastor would never have removed you from my sight like that, and when I discovered you were gone I knew what must have happened."

Whatever Dumbledore had to say next went unheard by Naruto as he fainted, the adrenaline rush over and the danger averted. As his eyes closed to the concerned voices all around him the genin looked forward to a comfortable rest. He could find out what happened later.

* * *

The Malfoy Manor shook with Voldemort's screams of pain.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!" he demanded. All those present in the room had no explanation to give, and were currently doing their best not to recoil in disgust. Blood slowly dripped from Voldemort's eyes and mouth, while orange and purple wax oozed from his left and right ear, respectively. His hands, shoulder, and legs were strapped down to the bed to prevent him from snapping his neck or spine from the terrible spasms of pain that would periodically rack his body.

A few minutes after the group of five had departed the graveyard Voldemort screamed in fury and fell to the ground, thrashing about. It took the Death Eaters a few moments to realize their Lord was sick, having taken his actions to be a sort of childish tantrum. Lucius immediately offered up his home and they left Avery's body behind, Kakashi's fatal victim. They planned to come back for it once their master was taken care of.

"Tell me what's wrong and I'll spare your life!" Voldemort threatened. The poor doctor quivered and nodded vigorously, too frightened to speak. Mr. Alan Curts had been enjoying a pleasant evening with his family when Lucius Malfoy (his most beneficial patient) demanded his services, saying it was a matter of life or death. Alan had been led to believe Mrs. Malfoy was in danger and he came immediately, having found her the most attractive woman he had ever met. However, when Alan arrived, he not only discovered that Lord Voldemort had returned from the dead, but _he _was the patient! Now, while he gladly cared for the Malfoy family when they were sick, it didn't mean he appreciated the Dark Arts. In fact, he rather despised it but the Malfoys paid well, so why not? He had actually been saving up for a trip to Morocco with his wife and three children once school was out for the summer.

"TELL ME!" Alan whimpered at the harsh tone.

"I . . . I-I can't t-tell," he stammered. "There seems to be n-no reason for this. All I can say is that there is a . . . a strange power in your body that is causing this. It's slowly decreasing, but until it is g-gone for sure it's going to be painful. But I can help lessen the pain!" he protested quickly when Voldemort's murderous glare bore into him.

"Do it." Mr. Curts frantically poured some hot liquid into the Dark Lord's mouth and then ran his wand over the Voldemort's entire body, muttering a long string of words.

"My Lord," Lucius began, stepping forward. His wife was beside him and held his hand tightly. "It appears that the energy harnessed by the boys is too harmful for your body. It must be only controllable by them, and if you went ahead and had tried to obtain more—" The unfinished sentence hung in the air, forcing the Dark Lord to pause and consider the new information.

"I believe you may be correct," he said, with a trace of sadness in his voice. He cried out again as a fresh wave of pain coursed through his body and he thrashed against the bounds that held him there. When it was over he waited to speak again, choosing to catch his breath as he panted. "This just means we need to convince the two boys to work for me and use their powers in my service." He looked at his Death Eaters with an evil grin while Mr. Curts almost wet his pants.

Voldemort turned his attention back to the physician. "The pain is weakening, so it appears that you have done an excellent job." Mr. Curts bowed to the ground and began muttering his appreciation. "Help me rise and I shall award you, for Lord Voldemort always rewards his helpers." While it was apparent that Alan Curts would rather do nothing of the sort, he obeyed and stood awkwardly next to the bed as Voldemort slowly took his wand off the nearby nightstand.

He smirked. "Your services were appreciated. _Avada Kedavra!_" Alan Curts fell to the ground, the surprise and shock still etched on his face.

"He was our best doctor!" Lucius complained. "And now I'll have to compensate his family for their loss." He turned to Voldemort angrily. "Why did you do that?"

"Because he knew I was alive, you fool!" the Dark Lord growled, pointing his wand at the Malfoys. "And if you don't keep your tongue and remember who you're speaking to, I may _reward_ you in the same manner!"

Narcissa tightened her grip on her husband while Lucius gulped. "I-I apologize, my Lord," he said quickly, bowing his head. "I promise it won't happen again."

"See that it does," Voldemort sneered. "Now, put these bindings back on me so I don't hurt myself."

* * *

Professor Snape was silent as he carried Naruto and Gaara to the infirmary. What Potter had told them happened and what they uncovered from Barty Crouch Jr. was certainly unsettling. Lord Voldemort was back? He actually got a new body? The repercussions of that were sure to be severe, and Severus couldn't help but shiver in fear in anticipation of what Dumbledore was undoubtedly going to ask him. Could he go through with that? It would be more dangerous than anything he could ever imagine and he wondered if he would succeed. Were it not for the two deadweights in his arms, his hands would be shaking.

He glanced down at the two children and had to admit he was impressed and somewhat proud of them. They weren't like Potter, who relied on everyone else to save him. They obviously fought for themselves as well as others and certainly had the power to do so. Over the course of the year he had observed them, as well as the adult of their group, and knew that at their age they were more mature than most of the brats that came to Hogwarts. Were it not for the adult and redhead's arrogant behavior and the blonde's pranksterish tendencies, Snape would have been more pleased at their appearance at Hogwarts.

"What happened to them?" Snape raised an eyebrow, irritated at Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley's brusque nature. They were bright enough to go straight to the infirmary for their friends, and he noted with disdain that there were other members of the Weasley family inside the infirmary as well. The professor chose to ignore the two students and carefully laid the two shinobi on different hospital beds. He then walked over to Madame Pomfrey who was still bent over the adult.

"Professor Dumbledore wishes you to finish up with Mr. Hatake and then care to Mr.'s Uzumaki and Sabaku. I will return with the real Alastor Moody and then your services will be needed to care for him." Madame Pomfrey nodded her understanding despite the strange use of "real" and focused her attention back to the adult. Snape's eyes widened slightly as he glimpsed the man's exposed face. His pale skin reminded him of Voldemort, and he seemed much younger than Snape originally thought.

Madame Pomfrey glanced back towards him and gave him a look that he took as a silent dismissal. Snape coughed and tried to cover his mistake and quickly strode out of the hospital while he saw the Weasleys and Ms. Granger fret over the unconscious boys. As he shut the door behind him, Severus couldn't help but hope the three strangers would be all right.

* * *

When Harry finally entered the infirmary he was assaulted by Hermione, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley. Bill was there too, but he gave Harry his space, which he was grateful for. Sirius nudged his leg with his nose, and Harry had to smile at the comfort his godfather gave him.

"Oh Harry, what happened?" Hermione begged with tears in her eyes. Harry said nothing but glanced over at Naruto and Gaara.

"Are they all right?" he asked.

"Madame Pomfrey said they should be fine in a day or two," Ron answered.

"A-and Kakashi?" Harry swallowed the lump in his throat. Ron sighed.

"She said he'll make it, but she won't let us anywhere near him! He's over there," (he gestured to a bed completely enveloped by curtains right next to the nurse's office) "and she called over some healers from St. Mungo's. They're with him now," he finished softly.

"All right, all right," Madame Pomfrey interrupted. "You can talk later, because Mr. Potter needs his rest." She shoved Harry into a bed and threw the blankets over him. Mrs. Weasley held his hand tightly and Harry gave her a small smile.

"I'll be okay," he assured her. Mrs. Weasley smiled back and then wiped her eyes.

"You'll need to drink all of this, Harry," Madame Pomfrey instructed, handing him a goblet full of purple potion. "It's a potion for dreamless sleep."

* * *

When Naruto awoke, it was not because he was ready to wake up. Rather, it was because people were shouting.

"You should never have brought it inside the castle!" Naruto rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and discovered he was in a comfortable bed, with Harry and Gaara beside him as well as Hermione and some of Ron's family.

"When Dumbledore finds out—" The hospital wing doors flew open and Professor Snape and McGonagall entered, yelling at a heavyset man with a strange hat on his head.

"Where's Dumbledore?" the man demanded, directing his question at Mrs. Weasley.

"He's not here," she said angrily. "This is a hospital wing, Minister, don't you think you'd do better to—" The hospital doors burst open again, and this time the headmaster strode through them.

"What has happened?" said Dumbledore sharply, looking from the man to Professor McGonagall.

"What's going on?" Naruto whispered, startling Hermione.

"You're awake!" she said happily, rushing towards him. She then stole a look back towards the arguing adults with a frown on her face. "I'm not really sure, but I've never seen Professor McGonagall that angry before."

"Who's the other guy?" Naruto pointed to the man.

"Oh, that's Fudge, the Minister of Magic," Hermione explained. At Naruto's confused expression, she quickly added, "He's like your Hokage, the leader of all the wizards." Naruto raised his eyebrows and glanced back towards the man. He certainly didn't look like any Hokage Naruto had seen, and he was confused as to why Dumbledore would be angry at someone like him. And what were these dementors that they were talking about?

"The moment that—that thing entered the room," McGonagall screamed, pointing a finger at Fudge, "it swooped down on Crouch and—and—" Naruto was confused as everyone's expressions transformed into sheer horror.

"What's a dementor? What did it do?" Naruto whispered.

"It's a creature that sucks out all the happiness in a person," Hermione explained slowly, trying to focus on the argument while still helping Naruto understand what was going on. "It must have used the fatal kiss on Crouch—where his soul is sucked out through his mouth."

Naruto gulped. "But, who is Crouch? Wasn't he the guy in charge?"

"No, it was his son. He was pretending to be Moody the whole year," Hermione whispered. Now everything made more sense—Moody had smelled different in that office, but Naruto had taken it to be due to his impaired judgment from what happened in the graveyard. So the Fudge person must have used the dementor to kill the son, and Naruto was shocked that someone as powerful as a Hokage would kill someone with such important information to share. What kind of a Hokage was he?

"He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!" Fudge said in exasperation.

"Lord Voldemort _was_ giving him instructions, Cornelius," Dumbledore said. "Those people's deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body."

Fudge look quite confused and horrified, unable to comprehend what Dumbledore had said. Naruto watched as the Minister continued to deny what Dumbledore was saying and Naruto felt he was quite the idiot. If even _he_ could understand, why couldn't that man?

Dumbledore offered to explain it further to Fudge and then glanced at Harry. "I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Harry tonight."

Fudge had a curious smile on his face, and then looked back and forth between Harry and Dumbledore. "You are—er—prepared to take Harry's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?" There was a moment of silence, punctuated by a dog's growling. Naruto immediately recognized him as Sirius and wondered what he was doing in the hospital wing.

"Certainly, I believe Harry," Dumbledore said, his eyes blazing. "I head Crouch's confession, and I heard Harry's account of what happened after he touched the Triwizard Cup; the two stories make sense, and they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer." Fudge was smiling again, and then glanced at Harry once more.

"You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who . . . well . . . " He looked at Harry again and Naruto understood his hesitation.

"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge," Harry said quietly. Most everyone jumped as they realized he was awake. Fudge then went into a tirade of how Harry was practically mentally unstable himself, something about a Parselmouth, and some accusations about his scar. Naruto sat there aghast at the terrible accusations and realized he should back Harry up.

"Harry wasn't the only one who saw Voldemort!" he protested, crawling to the foot of the hospital bed. Hermione tried to pull him back but Naruto pushed her away.

"Gaara, Kakashi-sensei, and myself were there as well!" Fudge was staring at him in fear. "While we didn't see him come to life, we saw him standing there, perfectly alive and healthy! It was in a graveyard and there were all these other people around us—"

"His Death Eaters!" Harry cut in. "I can give you names! Lucius Malfoy—"

"Malfoy was cleared!" Fudge interrupted. "A very old family—donations to excellent causes—"

"Macnair! Avery—Nott—Crabbe—Goyle—"

"You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago!" said Fudge angrily.

"He's right about Malfoy!" Naruto yelled. "Voldemort called him by name—"

"You could have found those names in old reports of the trials that acquitted those men!" Fudge argued. "Harry here has been telling crackpot stories last year as well, and he can talk to snakes Dumbledore, and you _still_ think he's trustworthy?"

"You fool!" Professor McGonagall cried. "Cedric Diggory! Mr. Crouch! These deaths were not the random work of a lunatic!"

"And my sensei was almost murdered by Lucius Malfoy!" Naruto leapt off his cot and stood in front of Fudge angrily. "How do you explain that!"

Fudge looked at Naruto fearfully, slightly startled by his actions but quickly gained control of himself. "Most likely the work of that lunatic! And don't think I don't know the stories," he continued, glancing towards Dumbledore, "of what these foreigners can do. I read the newspaper! It seems these two—" (he looked at Naruto and then Gaara) "—have some sort of dangerous power that put many of your students in danger, and there is the rumor that the adult is an assassin!"

"How do we know one of these three foreigners didn't just lose control and kill Cedric Diggory themself?" Fudge pointed out. "How do we know you're not covering up something?"

Naruto gasped at what Fudge was implying, and as everyone's voices rang out in protest he screamed angrily and charged towards Fudge. Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder and Dumbledore yelled at him to stop in Japanese. The genin glanced up to the headmaster who looked at him sternly, and Naruto sighed in frustration. He turned back to Fudge who was staring at Naruto in pure fright. The man could have sworn those blue eyes were red a few seconds ago.

"That's it!" Fudge shrieked. "That boy and the others are monsters!" A lot of Naruto's anger that hadn't been fully abated yet swelled once more and he lunged at Fudge again, breaking out of Dumbledore's grasp. A few seconds later a hand shot out and grasped Naruto's shoulder, pulling him back and a needle was thrust into his shoulder. Naruto staggered and saw that Snape was holding his arm, a syringe in his right hand. The genin tried to fight the sedative, but he was just . . . so . . . tired . . .

"Thank you, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly.

"Of course, Headmaster," Snape answered. He handed the sedative back to a frightened Madame Pomfrey and laid Naruto back on his cot. "I trust you will do better next time to keep Mr. Uzumaki under control while ridiculous accusations—" (he sneered at Fudge) "—are made in the future, Ms. Granger." Hermione nodded quickly before carefully covering Naruto with a blanket.

* * *

Naruto awoke the next day as well as Gaara, and they spent most of their time bombarding Harry, Hermione, and Ron with questions after they learned about Kakashi's condition.

"By all accounts he should have died," Madame Pomfrey explained in awe. "Though if it's as you say it is, the Killing Curse must have been altered after coming into contact with whatever energy Mr. Hatake blocked it with. He was just barely hanging on, in a sort of deep coma it would seem. The healers from St. Mungo's were able to jumpstart many of his vital organs that had started to shut down, and he is going to survive. Though it will be a while before he wakes up, and even longer until he is able to walk properly." She then walked over to Kakashi's bed to check his vitals once more.

"And what happened to us?" Gaara asked, directing his attention to the three wizards.

"Barty explained that he put some sort of powdered poison in your drink," Harry explained, leaning on a pillow for support. Hermione and Ron sat on his bed while Naruto and Gaara sat on the adjacent bed. Both genin felt perfectly fine, but Madame Pomfrey insisted they spend a few more nights in the infirmary. They agreed partly because they felt they had nothing better to do, and partly because they wanted to be near Kakashi. "It was only activated when he used his wand, and he said that he used the same thing on Kakashi, yet in a liquid form so that he would slowly be affected." Harry cringed, "He said that Voldemort wanted a small show of his powers, but Barty wanted to make sure he didn't mess up any of Voldemort's plans."

Naruto sighe and glanced back towards Kakashi. They still hadn't been allowed to see him, since Madame Pomfrey believed he was still too weak to be around people other than medical professionals.

"So why was Snuffles here?" Naruto asked.

"Dumbledore asked him to be," Harry answered sadly.

"He had Sirius reveal himself to my mum and Snape," Ron said, a wide grin on his face. "You should have seen Snape's face! Dumbledore even made them shake hands."

"Aren't you worried Snape will tell?" Naruto asked in concern.

"Nah," Ron said. "He may be a git, but he's not _that_ stupid! Dumbledore would probably kill him on the spot if he did."

"I'm curious as to what Dumbledore asked of Snape," Hermione remarked, looking worried. "Did you see his face? He looked absolutely terrified."

"It was a little strange," Harry said quietly. Despite his hatred for the man, Harry couldn't help but feel some sympathy for him. He had never seen Snape look like that before, and that made it all the more alarming.

"Visiting time over!" Madame Pomfrey declared, coming over to them. "My patients need their rest." Hermione and Ron stood up and said good-bye before leaving for dinner. The nurse looked at Harry's arm wound and gave him some more medicine before applying fresh bandages. Then she put on fresh bandages around Gaara's head. The Foe Glass had given him a concussion and Madame Pomfrey insisted on doing regular check-ups to make sure he wasn't adversely affected. To rest, she used a special spell to put him in a meditative state so he could awake if he needed to. For Naruto, the only injury he sustained was some scarred skin from the lightning spell in the graveyard, but to Madame Pomfrey's surprise it had completely healed overnight.

"I have no idea how something like this is possible!" she had exclaimed, unsure of what to think.

"Now I want no complaints tonight!" she ordered as she brought them their dinner. "If you get a good enough rest and I approve of your condition, then you may leave tomorrow."

"And can we see Kakashi?" Naruto asked quietly.

Madame Pomfrey's face softened at Naruto's concern. "If all goes well, then yes."

* * *

As Sirius slept on the couch in Lupin's house, he thought back to what he learned just a few days ago. It was just too horrible to think that Voldemort was back to life, but if Harry said that he did, then he did. What angered Sirius was that if Fudge was going to continue acting the way he had in the hospital wing, then when there were disappearances just like last time, _he_ was the one who would get the blame. Fudge would use him as a scapegoat and it would be even harder for him to go have any fun. As soon as he told Remus what happened his friend immediately volunteered to round up everyone that Dumbledore requested instead of Sirius. He said that it was too dangerous for him and that he wasn't going to lose him again.

Sirius had to smile. Aside from Harry and his friends, Remus was truly the only friend that he had. It was out of this friendship that Sirius decided to respect Remus' wishes. If only he had more room though. Not that he was one to complain, but his furry friend had quite the small house. Now, it wasn't his fault—Sirius knew that. A lot of wizards were prejudiced against werewolves and Black knew his friend had to have it about as rough as he did living in the wild.

_Who would have known?_ he chuckled darkly to himself. Never in a million years would he have thought that the friendship he and his three friends made during their 1st year at Hogwarts would have ended up like this; Peter betraying them all, James dying because of it, himself being framed for Peter's fake death, and Remus suffering all alone. If he had known what trouble would have come out of making friends with that rat, he would have never allowed it. Sirius had always thought the boy was a coward, but somehow the little git had wormed his way into all three of their hearts. Even though the kid liked to hang out with somewhat shifty characters, Sirius had made a point not to judge him about it, seeing as what type of family he grew up with. He hated it when people held his family name against them, so who was Sirius to judge?

Not that it mattered now, anyway. His thoughts then drifted to Kakashi, his newest friend. After he had gotten Buckbeak all ready to go, Sirius had snuck back into Hogwarts to say good-bye to the man, despite the fact that he was unable to hear him. He remembered pulling back the curtains and his eyes widened at what he saw. Kakashi lay there absolutely still, with so many tubes running in and out of him he looked part machine.

"While I'm not envying you right now, I've got to say I wouldn't have minded being there," Sirius muttered. "Even this would be worth it for a little action." He sighed and then rubbed his neck. "Dumbledore says that you'll most likely be gone before I can come back here or contact you, and I wish I could say good-bye in person." He placed a letter on top of the machine Kakashi was hooked up to. "So I decided to be old fashioned and leave a note, though I'm not expecting a response." He chuckled. "Penpals are hard enough, but _interdimensional_ penpals must be impossible."

Sirius glanced at the enormous clock on the wall. "Well, I gotta go. Get better my friend, and I hope you have it easier in your dimension."

* * *

**Did you **_**really**_** think I was going to kill Kakashi?! He's my absolute favorite character of all time! Hope I made some of you sweat though. ****–evil laugh- There are two more chapters after this. :(**

**Oh, and **kare o hatsubai **basically means "Release him!" if my sources are correct. **


	22. Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

**Thank you all so much for your reviews! It's really sad for me to have this be ending so soon. :( And I must say that this would have been out a day earlier, but as some of you may have noticed, the document manager was down for a few hours. **

**Anyway, I'd like to thank **SaphireShade, KatonRyuuka, cardcaptor eternity, Lupanari, Megaolix, AznPuffyHair, SharinganKumiko, PedroCullenBloomTM, Twilight's Oblivion, DarkRavie, Fox Loves Shinigami. Utena-Puchiko-nyu, DarcSlayer, KakashiKrazed, FullMetalExorcist, ChinduPrinceOfDarkness, Ce-Ce Riddle, Namekazelil, Jumpingbeans480, MadnessLover, SumireMayonaka, hokage of dragon, frik1000, strangenewage, Shai Neko, Kakashifangirlnumber1000, romantiscue, the true elec, Madeline Cullen, geetac, Mafkeesje, Vero-Enelya, Orihime-San, whiteinu1, actressforever, Mesonoxian, yaoifangrl4ever, The Laughing Phoenix, AvatardsUnite MM, dragoncrazy247, ArrangedloveMatch, Kitty-chan and Nya-chan, The-Eighth-Sin, Obiki Doragon, candyman123, ColorfulDesert, redfoxrose, Mournful Storms, pamellka, kimcat, MinakoxShino, Lake25, kiki, YaoiLuvr, **and** Yorukifon **for their wonderful reviews!**

**The 1,100th reviewer was** pamellka**! She has requested a Naruto/Gaara friendship moment. :)**

kiki**: XD I could never deal with the whole cast! It's hard enough trying to deal with three characters. Oh, and don't worry about that because once this is done I'm going to go back and fix some of the earlier chapters. Thanks for the review!**

* * *

When Kakashi started to awaken from his coma, his first observation was that he hurt all over, especially his throat. _You would think that when you die you wouldn't feel pain anymore, _he thought dryly.

"_Kakashi-sensei . . . Kakashi-sensei . . . _"

_Oh no, _he groaned mentally. _I _knew _shinobi didn't go to heaven! I'm in hell, and my eternal punishment is having a million Narutos who never give me a moment's peace! Maybe if I ignore them they'll all go away. _

"Madame Pomfrey said he should be awake by now." Kakashi's heart raced. That was Gaara's voice, so unless he was part of his punishment, then that meant—

Kakashi's eyes flew open but then he shut them just as quickly as he felt the chakra drain from using his Sharingan. He waited for a moment to catch his breath, and then slowly opened his good eye.

The first thing he saw was a blurry blob of yellow and orange, but then it slowly gave way to a grinning Naruto. "I knew you'd be all right, Kakashi-sensei!" He backed up and Kakashi noticed that he had quite the crowd gathered around him. It appeared as if the entire Weasley family was there, along with Harry, Hermione, Naruto, and Gaara.

"Thought I was dead," Kakashi mumbled, his voice hoarse. He tried to get up, but found he couldn't move at all.

Mrs. Weasley noticed his frown and quickly explained, "Madame Pomfrey said you probably wouldn't be able to move for a while." Kakashi sighed; he knew that would probably be the case. "Though it's a wonder you're alive at all!" Mrs. Weasley continued.

Kakashi smirked. "I seem to get that a lot." When all the females in the room blushed, Kakashi realized that his mask was off and swore loudly, ignoring the shocked blush on Mrs. Weasley's face. "Naruto! You had better put my mask on RIGHT NOW!"

"Y-yes, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said quickly. He rushed to go retrieve the mask but not before Kakashi saw him smile in satisfaction. The jounin groaned. Part of the reason why he wore the mask was because his angry glares didn't hold as much power to them as they did with the mask.

"Why is it off in the first place?" he demanded.

"They had to put a tube down your throat," Hermione explained, "because you weren't able to breathe well enough on your own."

_Well, that explains the sore throat._

"Why cover up a face like that, pretty-boy?" George teased.

"You'd have every woman in this castle wrapped around your finger if you kept it off," Fred smirked.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and mustered as much anger into his voice as he could. "Those reasons are known only to me, brat."

"By jove—I do believe we have been insulted!" Fred said in mock horror.

"Well, we know to leave when we're not wanted," George said in a huff. "C'mon, Fred. We have work to do." The two then stuck their noses in the air and exited the hospital room in a dramatized fashion.

"Did you drop them on their heads when they were younger?" Kakashi asked, directing his question to Mrs. Weasley. She appeared startled for a moment, then laughed.

"No, I do not believe so. Arthur and I have been trying for _years_ to figure out a reason for their behavior, but I fear we will never know."

"My patient needs his rest now!" Madame Pomfrey announced, coming over to them with a tray in hand. "Glad to see you're up, dear," she said kindly. Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He hated it when those older than him always felt a need to baby him. He hated it when he was five and he hated it now.

"Now you need to drink this," she instructed, holding up a bubbling green concoction, "to help with your muscle weakness and sore throat, and then this," (she held up a small goblet with a purple liquid inside) "to help you sleep and rest." She narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer to whisper, "And if you give me any trouble, I will not hesitate to force it down your mouth, seeing as how you can't move at all."

Kakashi glared at her. "I promise I won't give you any trouble. In fact—you won't have to do anything at all." The jounin took a deep breath and then pushed himself into a half-way seated position and grabbed the green potion before downing it all in one gulp. He grinned mischievously at her, despite the sweat plastered on his brow.

"S-see? Tha . . . that wasn't so hard—" His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed as the cup clattered onto the floor. Madame Pomfrey pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation.

"I should have put restraints on him," she muttered. "I _knew_ I should!"

"I got your mask, Kakashi-sensei! The healers kind of destroyed your original one, so I went and got one of your spare—" He gasped at the still form of his sensei. "He's dead! Somebody do some—"

"Calm down, Naruto!" Hermione pleaded, grabbing his arm. "He just passed out."

Naruto frowned. "He seemed fine when I left!"

"_That's _because he had to be an arrogant bast—er, he tried to move before his body was ready," Madame Pomfrey replied.

The genin laughed. "That's Kakashi-sensei! The only one who can make him do anything is baachan." Naruto walked to Kakashi's side and slid the mask over his face, wanting to avoid his sensei's wrath should he awake once more without his mask.

* * *

Two days later, Dumbledore met with the three shinobi next to Kakashi's hospital bed. The jounin had spent every moment that he could to get his body back in shape once he could move freely again. Last night he had tired to practice more while the rest of the castle was asleep, but Madame Pomfrey had interrupted while he was on his 157th push-up. She had been furious and informed him that before he went to bed each night he was to take a sleeping potion and she would not leave until she was sure it was working. Kakashi could have easily used the Sharingan on her, but with the state he was in it would be just as effective as drinking the medicine. Better to sleep with his chakra reserves at least relatively in tact.

"I just wanted to inform you that the spell to bring you back to your dimension is completed," he said. Naruto immediately started cheering while Gaara and Kakashi sighed in relief. "However," the headmaster continued, "I think it would be best to wait until Kakashi has had more time to recover, since I do not know what the stress of traveling could do to him." Naruto pouted and glanced at Kakashi for approval.

"As much as I want to return home," the jounin began, "I believe you are right, Dumbledore-sama. It would do me no good to return to my world with me in a worse condition than I was before." With that said, Naruto realized that they had no choice but cheered up when he discovered he would at least he could go say good-bye to his friends properly!

As the genin and the headmaster left, Kakashi contemplated his decision. In all fairness he should be well enough to travel, and then Tsunade could heal him properly if he happened to suffer an ill side effect of traveling. Medical ninjutsu was better suited to heal a shinobi's wounds, and he felt safer in Tsunade's care. The healing magic of this dimension was exceptional, but it didn't suit the body of one with chakra networks as well as it did with everyone else. The reason why he went ahead with Dumbledore's decision was because he wanted to give the genin some leeway time to say their good-byes.

The wizard friends they made here in Hogwarts were exceptional, because they made Naruto and Gaara feel like they were regular kids (somewhat). They knew what was inside of them yet they were not prejudiced. From what Kakashi had seen, it was mainly because this world had seen their share of strange things, but mostly they seemed more trusting. Most likely it was because they were not as war-torn as his world was. It was a nice change, but he couldn't wait to get back to the normalcy of shinobi life. Were it not for his duties in the tournament Kakashi would have died of boredom.

"Time for your sleeping potion!" Madame Pomfrey announced, all too eagerly. Kakashi groaned but knew there was no way out of it.

As the effects of the sleeping potion wore off the next morning, Kakashi found he actually wanted to go back to sleep, not that he would ever admit it to Madame Pomfrey. The potion she had given him put him into a dreamless sleep, and he wished he could sleep like that forever. Far too often were a shinobi's dreams plagued with the various horrors of their past, and Kakashi had quite a selection. He was rather proud of himself over the course of the past few months in the wizard dimension though, having only had three nightmares. There weren't as vivid as most of his usually were, where instead of screaming his throat raw and ripping his bed sheets into shreds, he had only woken up in a terrible sweat and the fear gripped him so forcefully he panted as if he had run all the way to Suna without stopping.

As his other senses started to awake from the induced slumber, Kakashi noticed that the hospital was rather noisy. They were all whispering, but to Kakashi it was rather loud. His brain was too sluggish to interpret just _what_ they were saying at the moment, but the acoustics seemed rather incorrect for what they should be in the hospital wing. There was almost an echo to the whispers, as if—

Kakashi opened his good eye in fear and shot up into a seated position only to find he wasn't in the hospital wing anymore.

He was in the entrance hall, surrounded by what appeared to be the entire Hogwarts student body, as well as the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. As he stared in shock and horror, a few of the boys sniggered while the girls sighed in the dreamy tone Kakashi had heard Ino and Sakura use around Sasuke.

_Who could have done this?_ he thought frantically, trying to overcome his terror at seeing so many eyes upon him. It wasn't that he was afraid of them (he could kill them all under ten minutes if he chose to) but being at the center of attention wasn't his thing. It was why he adopted such an aloof persona, to try and keep the attention shifted from himself. Having this many eyes staring at him brought back painful memories of the few years after his father had been disgraced. The students weren't looking at him with hatred, but he couldn't help but feel the same.

"MARRY ME!" some crazed girl called out. Everyone erupted into laughter at that, and it was then that Kakashi realized with horror that his mask was off.

In front of the whole wizard school.

The jounin involuntarily reached up and touched his face, only to discover that both his mask and Hitai-ate were gone. His earlier fear quickly transformed into rage. Who could have done this? Not Gaara; even though he had opened up more through his experience at Hogwarts it wasn't in his nature. Naruto was a possibility, but he knew better than that to play such a nasty trick on him. It was too low for Naruto—possibly. Who could it be?

"My, my," a voice called out from somewhere behind him. "I do believe we should have charged admission for this!"

"We would be rich as kings, we would," a similar voice conceded. "Maybe we can salvage our misfortune with a kissing booth? I doubt it would be just girls."

Kakashi whipped around to face the voices as the crowd either wolf whistled or squealed in delight. Standing smugly with their arms folded near the edge of the crowd were Fred and George. The jounin's mind went blank for a moment as he tried to process what had happened.

"Th-this . . . this is your—"

"Our prank?" George finished, as one would help a child.

"My dear lad—you have been _pranked _and there can be no doubt about that," Fred smirked. "I believe you mentioned something along the lines about pronouncing your undying love for the Giant Squid?"

"Why yes he did, dear brother!" George exclaimed, feigning shock. "Well then, I guess our first paying customer in the kissing booth is the Giant Squid, and I must say—she's been waiting for you!"

Fred turned to George with a contemplative look on his face. "So _that_ must be the reason for his love for animals! Do you suppose he's got a number of animal wives at home?"

"I wouldn't count out husbands just yet," George warned, shaking a finger. "Have you seen the way Fang looks at him? Why if that dog wasn't so old I'm sure that by now he would have tried to—"

Unable to keep his rage under control, Kakashi leapt with a single bound towards the twins, snarling as he did so. He was grateful that he had been able to change out of the horrible hospital garb when he awoke two days ago and been permitted to wear his jounin pants and sleeve-less shirt. It certainly would have made things a lot worse.

"He even _acts_ like an animal!" Fred remarked in astonishment.

"I let you off too nicely last time!" Kakashi yelled. "Now it's time for you to experience pain like you've never experienced it before!" The jounin steadied his feet and put his hands into one of the many seals the wizards associated with his various jutsu. Fred and George glanced at Kakashi, silently wondering if he dared use a jutsu against them and then took a step back in terror. Now with his mask removed, they got the full blast of Kakashi's crazed and murderous look. The jagged scar across one of his eyes made him all the more terrifying. They quickly turned around and ran, deciding it was in their best interest to flee.

"As if you're getting away that easy!" Kakashi laughed. "_Kage bunshin no jutsu!_" A clone appeared beside Kakashi and they disappeared, only to reappear in front of the fleeing twins. They shrieked and tried to run in the other direction, but the original and clone Kakashi were ready.

"_SENNEN GOROSHI!" _The twins yelped in utter pain as the "secret" jutsu sent them flying. Every onlooker stared in shock and utter silence at the original Kakashi and his clone, who appeared pleased with themselves. Fred and George landed quite a few feet away from the jounin and rubbed their painful backsides. At their whimper the students either erupted into laughter, amazed to see the twins bested at their game (sort of—it couldn't really be called a prank) or they rolled their eyes at the immaturity of it.

As the noise died down and he dispelled his clone, Kakashi glanced back towards the center of the crowd. "You can return the bed to the infirmary, can't you?" he said to the twins before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

* * *

"Can you believe it's end of term already?" Ron asked, idly picking blades of grass.

"It always passes by so fast," Hermione said softly. Harry simply nodded. The three of them were enjoying a calm and peaceful moment out on the school grounds. They just came back from visiting Hagrid, and Harry didn't want to go into the castle anytime soon. All everyone ever did was whisper about him, postulating theories about whether or not his head was screwed on just right, or what _really _happened in the graveyard, or whether or not he was an attention-deprived delinquent. He found he no longer cared what others thought, but it irritated him to no end. He preferred to be in the company of Hagrid, Hermione, Ron, or the shinobi.

He hadn't seen the shinobi much since the graveyard though. He was concerned but he knew they were all right. As much as he missed them, Harry felt somewhat relieved because all he could think about were Naruto and Gaara sitting in the chair as their life force (or whatever it was called) was sucked out of them, and then of Kakashi lying practically dead in the grass at his feet. Seeing them also reminded him that Cedric was gone, and that knowledge pained him greatly.

"I can't wait for you to come to the Burrow, Harry!" Ron said happily, trying to brighten the mood.

"After I have to go back to the Dursleys," Harry grumbled.

"Dumbledore would only make you do that if it carried some special meaning," Hermione reminded them.

"To make me feel miserable, yeah. If only—" He was interrupted by a high shriek. Harry and Hermione whipped around to find Ron on his feet and Naruto nearby, clutching his sides as he laughed.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, looking back and forth between the two boys.

"I-I . . . didn't mean to s-scare you," Naruto laughed. "But you scream like a girl!" Ron went a bright shade of pink and avoided Harry and Hermione's amused expressions.

"Caught me off guard, that's all," Ron mumbled.

"What did you want, Naruto?" Hermione inquired, trying to suppress a smirk.

The genin flashed one of his mischievous grins and they all knew they were either in trouble, or in for a treat. He leaned in closely to them and cupped a hand at the side of his mouth. "That Fudge guy is leaving today!" he whispered.

The three wizards blinked. "_Sooo?_" Ron wondered aloud.

Naruto sighed in exasperation. "You don't get it! Come on, I'll show you." He quickly gestured for them to follow him. "Come on!" Hermione and Ron frowned at Harry, who just smiled faintly and shrugged. The blond lead them around the castle and towards the entrance, where Fudge and various other high-ranking Ministry officials were leaving. He ducked in some nearby bushes and gestured for them to do the same. Before the wizards could ask once again what was going on, the wind around them blew sand in their face and soon Gaara appeared.

"Good, you brought them," he noted.

"I still don't know what—" Naruto silenced Hermione with a raised hand.

"Just wait for it!" he whispered, his glee written plainly on his face. The five of them then turned their attention to the discussion.

"We will be returning, Dumbledore," Fudge warned. The Headmaster merely nodded with a pleased smile and waved back, which apparently was not what the Minister was expecting. "Just like Albus," he grumbled to his companions as they pressed forward. "Always making a mockery of things and getting everyone to love and adore him. But we'll see just how smug he is once _I _expose him for just the type of person he truly—"

The Minister's rant was cut short as he tripped and landed face down in the dirt. To onlookers, it seemed as if the very ground itself had risen up for a moment like it were alive. Harry, Ron, and Hermione glanced at Gaara and were surprised to see his hand stretched out with a dangerous smirk on his face. The Suna shinobi then lowered his arm and nodded to Naruto, who chuckled and then rubbed his hands together.

"_Nijiiro no jutsu!_" Fudge tried to regain his composure by calmly dusting off the dirt on his cloak and firmly placed his lime green bowler hat atop his head, which now clashed horribly with his neon pink hair. For a moment there was complete silence, then everyone within the general vicinity started laughing, leaving the poor Minister horribly confused. Only when one of his companions calmed down enough to explain what had happened did he understand. His eyes went wide with fright and he tugged at his hair, yelling at Percy to assist him. The young Weasley was the only one not laughing, and he appeared just as horrified at the predicament as did the Minister.

When it became apparent that no regular spell would nullify the effects, the Minster tried to gather what pride he could and quickly strode out of sight to where he could Apparate back to the Ministry.

"I would reconsider your brand of shampoo!" Dumbledore called after him. Another wave of laughter followed and Dumbledore glanced in the direction of the shinobi and wizards. He said nothing else, but gave a slight nod in their direction as a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Naruto responded by placing his right hand over his chest in a salute, causing the headmaster to chuckle lightly as he walked back through the castle doors.

"You—are bloody brilliant!" Ron laughed, clapping Naruto on the back.

"I've changed it so that each color lasts for an hour," he explained.

"I don't think he'll be attending any meetings for the rest of the day," Harry noted.

"We are sure going to miss your great pranks," Ron said, looking at both Naruto and Gaara.

"Has Dumbledore figured out that spell yet?" Hermione asked in concern. Gaara nodded.

"He has; he told us yesterday."

"Why haven't you left yet? Do you not want to?" Hermione almost sounded hopeful that they would stay.

Naruto shook his head. "We're waiting until Kakashi is well enough to travel."

Harry frowned. "But he was running after Fred and George earlier today," he pointed out. "He seemed well enough to me."

"He overworked himself," Gaara explained. "When he returned to the infirmary his legs collapsed and we had to help bring him back to another bed. Madame Pomfrey believes him well enough to walk around, but now he has to use a cane."

"That was a nasty trick they played," Hermione huffed.

"No worse than what he did to them!" Ron argued. "And you've got to admit it was funny!" At Hermione's glare Ron realized it would be wise to give up. She then turned back to the shinobi with a worried expression.

"But . . . " She bit her lip. "Then that means you have to go back to accepting missions a-and—"

"Killing?" Gaara finished. Hermione's face flushed and she nodded vigorously.

"It's just . . . I know that you're used to it and all—and you definitely have the ability to do so—but you still have a choice, right? Haven't you enjoyed your time here, being away from all that? Don't you want to stay?" she pleaded.

Naruto and Gaara glanced at each other and then the ground sadly. "We have," Naruto answered.

"But we can't stay," Gaara continued.

"Why?" Hermione seemed on the verge of tears. "It hurts me to know that you go around killing people! You've been doing this since you were five, and that's all you'll ever do! That isn't the type of life you're supposed to live! I know I don't completely understand, but I can tell you and Kakashi are all suffering on your own! Doesn't it eat you up inside?"

Naruto stared at Hermione sadly. "Do you think we _enjoy_ killing?" he asked softly. "Is that what you think of us?"

"No! It's—I-I . . . I just—"

"The only ones who truly enjoy killing where we are from are evil and lost their minds," Gaara explained, his voice practically a whisper. "We fight to protect those most precious to us, and that is all the reason we need." Naruto smiled and put a comforting hand on the redhead's shoulder.

"We all wish for peace," the blond explained, "and who knows—someday it may happen! But until then, we want to protect our village and those we see as family so that they can live to see another day. That is what being a Hokage and shinobi is all about!"

"We appreciate your concern," Gaara added, "and if we could we would certainly take you up on that offer." He glanced at Naruto. "But the both of us have some important duties to fulfill—as do you three." There was silence for a few moments, until Naruto's stomach rumbled.

"Time for dinner!" he announced emphatically.

* * *

"I guess this is good-bye then," Harry said sadly.

"Yeah, I guess," Naruto said. They were all standing in Professor Dumbledore's office, along with Hagrid, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Professor McGonagall, the twins, and Ginny. It was after the Leaving Feast, and so the mood was already rather depressing. Tomorrow the students would be leaving, and Dumbledore wanted the shinobi's departure to be as quietly handled as possible. All the shinobi's gathered belongings, Christmas presents, and wands were packed into one large suitcase, and they were adorned in their regular clothing.

"Now, before I send you back," Dumbledore began, "you should know that if this is done properly only a few minutes would have passed in your world." The three shinobi stared at Dumbledore incredulously while the wizards gasped.

"Really?" The Headmaster nodded, smiling kindly at them. All three shinobi let out a breath they did not know they had been holding. Their greatest fear had been not knowing what awaited them back at home. How many people were still living? Were they declared as dead? How were they going to explain themselves? Would everything be changed?

Unable to express their appreciation, the three shinobi quickly bowed.

"Oh, no need to thank me," Dumbledore protested, shaking his head. "It was our fault you arrived here in the first place, and despite that you still managed to help us." He picked up a small bag on his desk and held it up. "You accept missions in your world, correct?" At their nod he continued, "And as such, I assume you accept payment." More nods. "Then here is our payment for your services." He tossed the bag to Kakashi who expertly caught it with his left hand, since his other hand was currently gripping a cane Madame Pomfrey had provided. His eyes widened at the weight of it, for it certainly was not any type of wizard currency.

"I know you don't use the same currency as we do, but I imagine gold is inter-dimensional? There should be enough in there for the three of you."

Kakashi, Naruto, and Gaara stared in awe at the small bag. The money they could get from it would certainly benefit their villages for the better. "But are you sure—"

Dumbledore waved the jounin off. "Please accept it, for it is the least we could do." Kakashi nodded and the three bowed once again.

"We sure are going to miss you," Ron began.

"This placed won't be as much fun without you three," Fred chuckled.

"Yeah, who else can we enjoy pranking as much as you?" George pointed out. Kakashi narrowed his eye, still suffering the sting of their last prank. Though, judging by the slight differences in their stances and walking, they were as well.

"Take care, dears!" Mrs. Weasley walked up to each of them and enveloped each in a warm embrace. Their surprise and slight unfamiliarity with the action didn't go unnoticed by Hermione, who watched them sadly. She and Ginny then gave them hugs as well.

"We have something for you three," Kakashi said. There was no doubt as to whom he was addressing. Harry, Ron, and Hermione frowned in confusion as Kakashi withdrew something from his weapon pouch. He held up three simple necklaces with a brown leather cord and a silver pendant that reminded the wizards of a Chinese good-luck charm. "The kanji means 'strength' and you can use this for just that." He dropped one into each of their hands.

Harry gasped as he felt the tiny pendant touch his bare flesh. He could actually _feel_ energy coming from it, as if it were alive!

"All three of us made this," Kakashi explained. "I invented a jutsu to make it possible for it to transfer energy to you when you need it—"

"—while I used some of the strongest minerals I could find to shape them—" Gaara continued.

"—and I supplied the energy!" Naruto ended happily.

"If you ever find yourself running low on energy when you need it most, just put your hand in this position," (Kakashi demonstrated, holding two fingers up near his mouth) "and say, _Kai _which means _release_.Then you can control how much you draw from the pendant."

There was silence as the three wizards examined the necklaces with curiosity. "But . . . can we handle chakra? It's too different from our magic for us to take it internally—" Kakashi held up a hand to silence Hermione.

"I made the necessary modifications, but you can feel free to test it out yourselves, just to be sure. But be careful to only accept a small amount. Naruto filled them over the course of a few days, but it should still be used sparingly. I don't know what will befall you in the future with Voldemort brought back to life, but I have no doubt this may come in handy."

The three wizards glanced at each other and then shrugged. They copied Kakashi's hand sign and said, "_Kai!_" The pendant glowed blue for a moment and then stopped, during which time the wizards felt an increase in their stamina.

"That was wicked!" Ron exclaimed.

"We'll be sure to put this to great use," Harry promised.

"Thank you very much," Hermione said.

The shinobi smiled. "Oh, and if you happen to see Snuffles again," Kakashi added, "let him know we appreciate his message, are grateful for his friendship, and wish that we could see him one last time." The jounin had found the letter that Sirius had left and it simply contained his gratitude for all their help, his concern for Kakashi's condition, and his wish that they would be safe when they returned home. Sirius also explained his regrets for not being able to say it in person but he was on an urgent mission for Dumbledore.

Harry grinned. "I will."

"Well then, I believe it is time to go now," Dumbledore said. "If you will all stand together while I prepare."

Naruto nudged Gaara. "It was a lot of fun being here," he whispered. "I'm sad that once we get back you have to go back to Suna." Gaara nodded.

"You are my first . . . and very best friend," he whispered back, glancing at the floor. He felt a slight blush on his face with being so open about his feelings because it definitely wasn't something he was used to. "I wouldn't be who I am if . . . if it weren't for you."

Naruto's grin widened as he clapped Gaara on the back. "What are friends for? You'd better take care of yourself while I'm with Jiraiya. Maybe we could visit!" Gaara smiled and they focused their attention back to what Dumbledore was doing.

He finished the incantation and to everyone's surprise the shinobi started to slowly dissolve while surrounded by a type of purple electricity. They felt a similar tingling as before, and knew the spell would work.

"Safe travels!" Hagrid called after them, waving his massive hand. McGonagall smiled warmly and waved as well.

Naruto waved both his hands emphatically while the other two gave a small nod. "BYE!" the energetic blond called.

Each of the other wizards joined in with a hearty wave until the shinobi had completely disappeared.

"I still can't get over the fact that there is another dimension," Mrs. Weasley said softly.

"It is a wonderful fact to know, though," Dumbledore remarked. "That we are not alone."

Harry glanced back at his necklace fondly, and then tied it around his neck, knowing that his fourth year at Hogwarts would be all the more memorable because of the three friends that he made.

* * *

Sakura burst in the door, having heard Naruto's yells and thought Naruto had done something stupid again. She was the one who would dismiss them from the hospital, yet she froze at the sight of the three fading before her eyes. As she ran towards them however, they vanished with the purple electricity fading not long after.

"TSUNADE-SAMA!" Sakura raced through the hospital, too worried to notice that people were giving her dark looks as they jumped out of her way. _Who would want to take them? _she wondered. _I can understand Kakashi-sensei, and I guess Gaara is a bit of a threat, and there were those people going after Naruto a while ago. What kind of jutsu did they use? Maybe—_

Her thoughts were cut short as someone snatched her arm from behind in a vice-like grip. "Sakura! You'd better have a good reason for running so dangerously through my hospital!" The young girl spun around to find the Hokage glaring at her.

"I-It's horrible!" she squeaked. "Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and Gaara have all disappeared!"

Tsunade's irritated demeanor immediately transformed into one of urgency. "Explain," she said, taking off in the direction Sakura had come from. Shizune was right at her heels, with Sakura closely following.

"I went to check Naruto and Gaara out from the hospital, but then I found that they along with Kakashi-sensei were disappearing!"

Tsunade frowned, unaware of those leaping to get out of her hastened path. "They were in the _act_ of disappearing? It didn't happen all at once?"

Sakura nodded fervently. "There was this purple type of chakra all around them and I could actually _see_ through them!" Tsunade moved even faster.

"Why do you think they were targeted, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked. The fear and concern were evident in her voice.

"I honestly have no idea," she sighed. "Separately, yes—but all three at once?"

They finally reached the room and Tsunade threw the door open, almost shattering it in the process.

"That's where they disappeared!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing in between the two beds.

"However it happened, the enemy was using a type of power I've never encountered before," Tsunade muttered, probing the energy in the room with her chakra. "Shizune! I want two ANBU squads here now! This power is still lingering in this room, so there might be a chance of—"

"Look!" Shizune interrupted.

The three females froze, startled by the purple electricity in the air. It started as a speck, but then it swirled outward in a circular pattern until it was nearly a meter in diameter. The completed appearance looked like a purple cloud with spontaneous lightning protruding from it.

"That's what it looked like last time," Sakura whispered. The beauty of it was fascinating, but the energy was so foreign to her she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling it gave off.

"Get ready," Tsunade warned. She held out her arms defensively while Shizune ran a mental check over her hidden weapons and Sakura grabbed a variety of kunai and shuriken. "Most likely the first wave will be—"

Whatever she was going to say next was lost as she stared at the occupants that were deposited from the strange void. First fell Gaara, followed by Naruto, and lastly Kakashi, though it wasn't just them. A large bag fell as well and judging by the loud _bang_ it made on the hospital floor, was quite full.

"You'd think the actual journey would have been a bit more smoother than last time," Kakashi sighed. He pushed himself up off the ground with a simple cane and glanced to the two genin. "Sorry about that, Gaara. It seems that this spell really likes you."

"Sorry, Gaara!" Naruto apologized. He had landed on his friend again and offered a hand up for the boy.

"Sure you are," Gaara muttered sarcastically, flashing a small smile. He glanced at their surroundings. "Well, Dumbledore-sama was right about coming back to the same place, there's my gourd!" The genin (calmly) rushed to his beloved gourd and placed a hand on it, feeling home at last.

"Uh, oh," Kakashi chuckled. "It seems that we have an audience."

Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura were beyond confused. First of all, all three of them were alive and they seemed quite fine, though Kakashi appeared to be recovering from something. Second, there was a large bag on the floor, and third—Gaara was acting so . . . _normal!_

"How long has it been?" Naruto demanded. He rushed up to Sakura and grabbed her shoulders.

"I . . . wha-what do . . . what do you mean?"

"I remember seeing you when we left!" he explained. "How long has it been?"

"A-a few minutes—at the most?"

Naruto let out a whoop and punched a fist into the air. "The old geezer was right! Hardly any time has passed in our dimension! This is so cool!" He pointed his finger at Sakura. "I'm a year older than you now! Oh!" He leaned in close and cupped a hand towards Sakura's ear and whispered, "And I got to see Kakashi-sensei with his mask off!"

As Naruto laughed, Tsunade turned a critical eye on Kakashi, taking note of his weakened condition before asking, "You had _better_ start explaining."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Eh . . . honestly, you wouldn't believe us if we told you."

"Oh?" Tsunade folded her arms. "Try me."

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**So do you see why I haven't addressed the Konoha issue? I'm sorry for those of you who wanted something else to happen (like other people to come into the Hogwarts picture) but I assure you that there is a very important reason for this particular turnout of events. You'll find out later.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: I would just like to point out that I purposefully made it so there weren't too many changes made by the shinobi on the wizard world. My purpose in writing this fic was to show how easily the Naruto group could have inserted themselves into the story. However...well, just keep on reading. ;)  
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**Well, the main story here is over. :( The next chapter is a sort of epilogue, so STAY TUNED! There is still more to come, I promise!**


	23. Author's Gift

**ANNOUNCING A BRAND NEW CROSSOVER, WRITTEN BY**

**THE AUTHOR OF ****NARUTO AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE****!**

**THE STORY CONTINUES IN**

**NARUTO AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS****!**

_(July 31, 2009)_

**Summary**: The Wizarding World has been turned upside down with the rise of Voldemort. Disappearances, murders, "accidents", and other such events now plague the _Daily Prophet_ and Muggle News. The Order of the Phoenix is desperately trying to rally allies in an attempt to thwart the Dark Lord's advances, but three young wizards make the dangerous decision to set out on their own, on a quest that none other than the deceased Dumbledore knows about. Realizing they can't dissuade them from their task, the Order has decided that the situation calls for the help of three certain shinobi, whose help could easily be the difference between failure and victory.

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**While this may seem like another "_wizards-summon-shinobi-to-help-Harry"_ kinda thing, I assure you it isn't. Harry isn't the only one they are going to help out, and there might be some other shinobi along for the ride. :) I've still got a few surprises up my writing sleeves, and I'm so excited! There is a large part of the book not touched upon and I'm going to have a lot more free reign over the story.  
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******Hard to believe this all began one day during the summer of '07 at Girl's Camp with a few ideas and a notebook. :) This story is my baby and these past two years have flown by.**

**And now, I would really like to take this time to profusely thank all those who have read and/or reviewed this story over the course of these nearly two years. Each and every review has meant the world to me and I can always go back and read them whenever I'm feeling a little down and I have never had so much fun in my life! I have had the privilege to read wonderful stories on this site and I'm proud to be able to create a story that others enjoy as well, because I feel like I'm paying a little homage to all the great stories I've read. **

**I am also grateful for all the friends I have made through this story and I hope to make many more in the future! Have a nice day!**

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**Oh yeah—reviewers! Thank you so much **wednesday1990, Madeline Cullen, angiesmile, DarkRavie, 7Kyuubi7, Kakashifangirlnumber1000, SaphireShade, AznPuffyHair, Pissed Off Irish Chick, Megaolix, Lupanari, Lake25, Yorukifon, actressforever, KatonRyuuka, liobi's curse, KakashiKrazed, redfoxrose, shapphire-fox, The-Eighth-Sin, Mesonoxian, Moonfayth, halo2mfan, FullMetalExorcist, Orihime-San, ChinduPrinceOfDarkness, Naruto5291, Lord Edric, frik1000, ColorfulDesert, Sdarian, MadnessLover, SumireMayonaka, The Laughing Phoenix, AvatardsUnite MM, Namikazelil, Shai Neko, the true elec, Message in a Bottle, **and** kittyore9!

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**For those interested in reading the sequel, you may find it on my profile page. :)**


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